The ladies of Bever Hollow : a tale of English country life

LIBRARY DALTON HALL

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THE

LADIES OF BEVER HOLLOW.

A Tale cf English Country Life,
By the Author of " Mary Powell."

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.

" The bodily frame wasted from day to day ;
Meanwhile, relinquishing all other cares,
Her mind she strictly tutored to find peace
And pleasure in endurance. Much she thought,
And much she read . . . and brooded feelingly
Upon her own unworthiness." — Wordsworth.

The Churchyard among the Mountains.

LONDON :

Printed for RICHARD BENTLEY, Nao Burlington Street.
1858.

LONDON :
R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL.

?Z3

CONTENTS OF VOL. II,

CHAPTER I.

PAGE

Latent Antipathies i

CHAPTER 11.
A Ruse i8

CHAPTER HI.
A Family Man 3^

CHAPTER IV.
Head and Hands 63

CHAPTER V.

Mr. Glyn in Private Life 74

CHAPTER VI.

Board and Lodging 89

CHAPTER VII.
Mischief io7

IV CONTENTS OF VOL. II.

CHAPTER VIII.

PAGE

The same, continued 134

CHAPTER IX.
Merry Christmas 162

CHAPTER X.

Mrs. Althea's Tea- Table 183

CHAPTER XL
The Sisters Sundered 203

CHAPTER XH.
The Sisters Re-united 231

THE LADIES

OF

BEVER HOLLOW.

CHAPTER I.

Latent Antipathies,

Familiar matter of to-day —
Some natural sorrow, joy, or pain
That has been, and may be again.

WOKDSWORTH.

" T MUST go — yes, I must go to mamma,"
-*- thoiiglit poor Pamela, on her sleepless
pillow, " and tell her all. K"o, that will never do ;
she will take me away at once, and I shall lose
sixty pounds a year. And yet I feel as if I
could not stay . . . and yet Mrs. Glyn was light-
headed ; and people are not answerable in that

VOL. II. B

2 T^he Ladies of

state for what they say. No, but they are for
what they habitually think ; and Mrs. Glyn
must, I fear, have already entertained some
such thoughts as those she expressed, or they
would not have shaped themselves into words,
I do not know how that is — I must ask Mrs.
Althea. Yes, it will be better to consult
Mrs. Althea than mamma, because she will have
all our difficulties at heart : mamma will, for
the time, have only mine. Mrs. Althea is dis-
passionate and yet sympathising — she will tell
me whether to go or stay."

And the tired girl turned on her pillow,
breathed a prayer, and fell asleep.

George Mildmay rode over to Mrs. Althea
the next morning, brimful of things he wanted
to say to her, and fervently hoping Mrs. Kitty
might be in the poultry-yard, pig-stye, or any-
where but in the parlour.

Wherever Mrs. Kitty might be, Mrs. Althea

Bever Hollow* 3

to his chagrin, was not alone. Her companion,
at first sight, was not ill-looking ; her age might
be a little above forty ; her figure was compact ;
her features tolerably regular, though sharp ;
her complexion a little heated ; her eyes not
large, but black, and as sharp as darning-needles.
Her black silk dress and pink neck-tie were
unexceptionable, her cap rather juvenile, but
very neat ; her foot and hand small, but rather
stumpy. Such was Mrs. Brand. She was en-
gaged in fabricating one of those works of art
which go by the name of antimacassar.

" I'm glad to see you, George," cried she,
starting up, and holding out her hand with a
very friendly air.

" ' George !' who in the world can the woman
be? " thought he. " You have the advantage of
me, ma'am, " said he.

*' Well, years have passed since we met," said
she, laughing ; " I believe it was
b2

4 ^he Ladies of

* When you were a school-boy aged ten.
And mighty little Greek you knew.' " \

" Thank 'e for tlie compliment, ma'am," says
(jeorge ; '• I begin to have an impression of Mrs,
Brand. May I make so bold as to ask what has
cast you on this bleak, inhospitable shore?",

Mrs. Althea, who had looked very jaded
when he entered, was clearing up more and
more at every word he &aid, and was now try-
ing to control a smile.

"I was invited, of course," said Mrs. Brand;
" and very sorry have 1 been, I assure you, to
be so long absent from this neighbourhood.
I was always partial to it ; and I suppose the
liking was mutual ; for your good people are
paying me much attention."

" Beg pardon, ma'am," said George, " but
you have not yet allowed me to take my patient
by the hand ; permit me."

" Certainly ; but, dear me, Mr. Mildmay, your

Bever Hollow, 5

spur is entangled in my knitting-cotton — stay,
stop ! you'll ruin me ! "

George pointed his toe like an opera-dancer,
while Mrs. Brand disentangled her cotton ; and
he finished with a half pirouette, which brought
him to Mrs. Althea's side.

" I'm not going to talk over my ailments this
morning," said she quietly, as he felt her pulse.

" Just so," said George, in the same key.

" Come, come, you don't escape me in this
way," said Mrs. Brand ; ''I want to hear all
and everything, from first to last, and told Kate
so this morning when she wanted me to call on
those good creatures, the Bohuns. ' Here,' said
I to her, ' I shall plant myself, till !^Ir. Mildmay
comes, and till he is gone.' So you 've no
escape," — laughing and shaking her ringlets.

" Am I to understand our esteemed friend
Mrs, Kitty by the term Kate?" said George.
^' If so, I take the liberty of remarking it is an

6 The Ladies of

abbreviation by which she has never been known
in her own family; and as the name of Mrs.
Kitty has become endeared among her intimates
by long use, and the term Kate has somewhat
disrespectful in it — "

'' Disrespectful ! Why, Kate and I were
Kate and Eliza to one another before you were
born, Mr. Mildmay, and shall continue so to our
dying day, I assure you ! ^'

" Well, I am sorry to hear it," said George,
" for Kate always puts me in mind of Petruchio's
* plain Kate, bonny Kate, and Kate the curst. ' You
remember the passage, I dare say, Mrs. Althea ? "

" Oh, Althea's a regular encyclopedia,'' said
Mrs. Brand. " But, do you know, strange as
my calling Kate ' Kate,' sounds to you, it strikes
me equally odd to hear my two dear friends
sunk into Mrs. Althea and Mrs. Kitty."

" Bunlz ? There's been no sinking in it, I can
tell you ! " cried George, fermenting.

Bever Hollow, 7

" It sounds clownisli ; in my time, thej were
the two Miss Hills. I see no reason why,
simply because they have taken a lower position
in society — "

" They haven t!''' flamed out George.

*' Well, well, you know what I mean. Althea
understands me. True, they were the Miss
Hills of Bever Hollow, and are so no longer ;
but need it therefore be forgotten?"

" Ma'am, it's not forgotten!" cried George.
" There are no two ladies in the whole county
more respected, nor so much, as ^Irs. Althea
and Mrs. Kitty. I go about among all classes,
from the highest to the lowest, and know a
pretty deal more about it than you do or can,
having been out of the neighbourhood, as you
say, ever since I was ten years old — "

"I spoke in round numbers ; it cannot be so
long — nay, I'm persuaded it is not."

'' Round, square, or any other numbers, I

8 The Ladies of

speak of what I know, ma'am, and I can swear
•to what I say."

" Well, well, Mr. Mildmay, you've a rough
tongue to your opponents, and a smooth one for
your patients," said Mrs. Brand, with a con-
strained, unpleasant sort of smile. " Though
why I should term myself your opponent, I
know not, for I am truly glad to hear your tes-
timony to the good report of my dear friends
throughout the circle of your practice. It was
you who took up the cudgels, no one could say
why or wherefore, to fight a man of straw. You
remind me amazingly of what you were when
I saw you last ; and of that illustrative line of
one of our poets, ' the child is father of the
man.' "

"An odd relation, ma'am."

" A very pretty boy you were at ten, George,
I give you my word."

" Oh, ma'am ! I had my likeness taken at

Bever Holhw, g

that age, so I have some faint idea of what I
was — hair rather reddish ; face rather full about
the cheek and chin."

" Well, your hair was a little red."

"Never," muttered Mrs. Althea.

" And when that's the case in boyhood, the
whiskers generally betray it afterwards."

" Thank 'e, ma'am."

" Oh, yours are pretty dark, but you can't
deceive me — I see the golden tinge."

"My dear lady," cried George, "what a
blessing it is that I can't retaliate and say
I see that your ringlets are sable silvered. On
the contrary, you seem to me to have worn
remarkably well during the last thirty years."

" Thirteen, if you please ! "

" And your appearance is so healthful, that
I am certain it must proceed from abundance of
exercise in the open air."

" Quite trucj certainly."

10 The Ladies of

'' Then take a professional man's advice," said
he, moderating his tone, " and don't let a little
cold weather keep you in-doors. You know, or
perhaps you don't know, that you have four
hundred and fifty voluntary muscles, which
ought to be kept in free exercise, or morbidity
will ensue. The air, though cold, is bracing ; a
long walk, daily, will be of the utmost benefit to
you ; because, if I were not afraid of alarming
you, I should say — "

"What? Pray goon."

" That you have a tendency to fulness in the
head—"

" I certainly have."

" Which, if you sit much in a heated room
like this, will very possibly induce the morbid
tendency I hinted at."

"Are you serious? "

" Perfectly so. Of course, when it hails,
snows, and sleets all together, I don't mean you

Bever Hollow. ii

to turn out ; but on a fine morning, say like
this, with occasional gleams of sun, and the
thermometer in the open air not much below
thirty, I should say, walk early, and walk long."

" Certainly, certainly. Dear me ! four hun-
dred and fifty voluntary muscles — "

"And, as I fancy we shall have a dull after-
noon, and Mrs. Kitty has proposed a walk, I
would, if I were you, certainly take one."

" Thank you, thank you very kindly. I
really will, as soon as you are gone, and we
have lunched."

George bit his lip, and rose to depart.

" Mrs. Brand," said he to himself as he rode
ofi", "I dislike you, distrust you, and feel dis-
respectful towards you. I find pleasure in
being rude to you, ma'am. I know you do
not like Mrs. Althea, and I am sure she has
had reason, some time or other, to dislike
you. Why should you come and intrude your-

1 2 572^ Ladies of

self here, where we were all going on so com-
fortably together? You'll put your finger mto
somebody's pie before you are satisfied, I'll
answer for it, and I hope it may be burning
hot. ' Mighty little Greek,' quotha ! You have
mighty little manners ; and my whiskers are
dark chestnut, ma'am, and not carroty ; and my
loved Mrs. Althea and Mrs. Kitty have not
sunk in the estimation of society. They will
be ' the ladies of Bever Hollow ' to their dying
day. Mrs. Brand, be very careful of what you
do or say, or I will be your open antagonist,
and your successful antagonist too."

Meanwhile Mrs. Brand, with uplifted hands,
was exclaiming, " My dearest Mrs. Althea,
how that fine young man is gone off ! Kiite's
letters represented him in such partial terms,
that I really was prepared to find him a finished
gentleman, instead of so absolutely bearish and
clownish. What man of breedins; ever calls a

Bever Hollow, 1 3

lady ma am, in that pert, offensive kind of
way? Besides, there is a degree of frivolity
ahout him which convinces me that he must be
quite too superficial for a case like yours."

" Manner, only manner," said Mrs. Althea.
"We are used to it, and call it George's way."

" Way ! but what a way. Not the way he
should go."

" Well, that is a matter of opinion ; but the
manner, however boyish and buoyant, which I
admit it to be, covers a sound understanding
and a feeling heart."

'' I must say I think a great deal of manner."

" When George Mildmay enters this room,
he seems to fill it with sunshine."

" And that's a great thing," said Mrs.
Brand, blandly. "It goes a great way with
nervous, anxious patients."

Mrs. Althea was going to reply, but re-
frained.

14 The Ladies of

"Where can Kitty be?" said she, rather
wearily. " I am sure it must be lunch time."

"Shall I go and hasten it?" said Mrs.
Brand, officiously. " Do let me just run and
steal into the larder, and bring you in the nicest
little sandwich in the world ; or an ^^^'g —
we'll boil one in a minute. A rasher? I'll
fry you one in five minutes. Do let me be of
some service."

"Oh no, thank you," said Mrs Althea, "I
was only thinking of you."

" My dear Althea, mine is the most accom-
modating appetite in the world. I can dine at
six with the great, and at — "

" Three uith the small, I hope," said Kitty,
coming in. " Fie ! could not you have said,
' at six with the laie7 ' "

" My dear, I should, and meant to have said
so. But how sorry I am. Before I came, you
dined at one."

Bever Hollow. 15

" No, we did not."

" At two, then. That unfortunate admission
of mine at tea-time, that I was very huDgry !
You have made this change on my account."

*' Honestly, Eliza, I have made it for to-day,
and no other, in order that we may have time
to walk to the Bohuns'. If we start presently,
we shall just avoid intenaipting them at their
dinner, or having our walk for our pains, which
would grieve them."

'* That is admirably thought of. I shall
enjoy seeing worthy Mrs. Bohun. I suppose
she has not a bahy always in her arms now.
Mr. Bohun, who was such a well-looking man
thirteen years ago, is doubtless grown coarse."

" Hardly," said Kitty, doubtfully.

" Not at all," said Mrs. Althea. " Of course
he shows the lapse of time; we all do."

" All," echoed Mrs. Brand, " but Kate less
than any one I know of. By the bye, Kate,

l6 The Ladies of

when you came in just now, you put me so in
mind of Mrs* Mildmay I "

" Did I ? " said Mrs. Kitty, looking flattered.
" She was a pretty little woman before she
gi'ew so corpulent."

** Please don^t use that word, Kitty," said
Mrs. Althea.

" Only fit for Mrs. Mildmay's only son,"
said Mrs. Brand, laughing. " 0 fie, Kitty ! "

"What shall I say then?" said Kitty.
" Roundabout ? Roly-poly ? Come, Eliza, have
another ^gg^

Mrs. Althea, whose aversions in some cases
were rather strong, particularly disliked the
gusto with which Mrs. Brand ate an egg ; and
was therefore secretly sorry when, after more
pressing than an egg was worth, she accepted
it. But it was stale! a horrible Qgg\ Mrs.
Kitty was quite dismayed, and could not think
how it could be, for the date was on the shell ;

Bever Hollow. \j

however, Mrs. Brand would not have another :
and so, after a little more chattering and feet-
warming over the fire, the two ladies started on
their walk, and left Mrs. Althea to silence and
repose.

VOL. II.

1 8 The Ladies of

CHAPTER II.
A Ruse.

A whisperer divideth friends.

Book of Job,

CJHE was just becoming deeply interested in
'^ a "book she was reading — Mrs. Scliimmel-
penninck's " Port Royalists" — and wishing and
praying she might at length attain the heavenly
composedness of the M^re Ang^lique, — when
the door suddenly opened, and George Mildmay
re-entered.

" George again ? " said she, surprised.

" Have you seen one of my gloves?" said he.

" No," replied Mrs. Althea, looking round.

" Curiously enough, here it is in my pocket,"
said George. " Well, Mrs. Altliea, you and
I are now going to have a good coze. I came
for that purpose this morning, and was riding

Bever Hollow, 19

homewards, gloomy as night at being defeated,
when what should I see but our two fair
friends trudging across Collington-common !
Thought I, ' There is a tide in the affairs of
men ! ' — and this is mine, so I'll take it. The
consequence is, I am here."

" And the glove — " said Mrs. Althea, mis-
chievously.

" Ah, never mind that — there was no sin in
a ruse so perfectly transparent."

" Well, but, George, what is the interesting
matter — for I am sure it must be interesting —
which brought you back? Tell me, my dear
friend."

" Ah, that word goes to my heart. Friends
we are, and friends we will be. However, —
to begin abruptly, — Do you know Mrs. Glyn
fell down stairs last night? "

" No ! how should I ? Poor woman ! was
she much hurt ? "

c2

20 The Ladies of

" Very much, though fortunately she broke
no bones. Mr. Forest was sent for in a hurry ;
he was out; I went in his stead — got there
late ; was shown up into a wonder of an old
bedroom ; fitted up in Henry the Eighth's time,
I should think. There, on a tall bed all velvet,
festoons, and fringings, lay the old lady, held
up in the arms of Miss Bohun, who looked as
beautiful as an angel. The subdued light of a
lamp just caught her hair — "

"Mrs. Glyn's?"

" For shame, Mrs. Althea. Well, you know
Miss Bohun is pretty, as well as I do; but
somehow, last night there was something higher,
more noble, about her mien, than I ever saw
before. Her pity was that of a superior being ;
not anxious and impulsive, as it would have
been for her mother; but a kind of dignity
accompanied her compassion. Her kind offices
were performed in perfect quietness, without

Bever Hollow, 21

anything fussy or officious. Altogether, I was
very mnch stiaick."

A short silence ensued.

" I have often wondered, George," said Mrs.
Althea, " that you have never felt anything like
this before."

" I have, l3ut not so strongly. One thing has
gone on adding to another, till . . . You cannot
think how I felt when I first found her li^^ng
at Bever Hollow! I had gone on, fancying
I might speak at any time, and that she was
too young, and I too poor, and, in short, that
there was no harm or danger in waiting. All
at once, the veil was torn away ! I had missed
my opportunity! To so straitened a family
I might have seemed a fair match ; to a dis-
engaged heart, I might have been a successful
suitor. But now — " He faltered.

"Where is the difierence now?" said Mrs.
Althea.

22 T^he Ladies of

*' All the difference, my kind friend. She
is no longer accessible : perhaps no longer
disengaged — "

" I do not believe she is in the way of
seeing many to engage her," said Mrs. Althea,
drily.

" Many ? No, but there's one, which is
worse. I look on Mr. Glyn as a most dan-
gerous fellow."

" Love's blind, they say ; and truly, George,
you must be so, if you stumble where there
is no obstacle in your path. Mr. Glyn ! — I
fancy Mr. Glyn would laugh a most insulting
laugh at the idea of marrying a nursery
governess ; for really his little children hardly
require more. He is, I am told, one of the
proudest of men."

" Well, a proud man may think he ennobles
whomsoever lie raises to his own position.
Besides I the blood of the De Bohuns ! . . ."

Bever Hollow, 23

" A chimera, ten to one, raised for your own
torment. I do not suppose he thinks of her
at all."

" But perhaps she may think of hira ! "

" You have given her no one else to think
about. My dear friend, if you have really well
considered this matter, if you really know your
heart, do not trifle with your own happiness,
and perhaps another's, as so many people do,
by delaying to learn how your fate really
stands."

" You think I may, then?"

" I do."

" My dear, kind friend ! "

" I am deeply interested in the welfare of
you both. If you are successful, your happi-
ness will make me happy too ; if otherwise, —
why, the sooner you know it the better, and
you will meet it like a man."

" Well, the sooner the fates give me an

24 The Ladies of

opportunity — What are you smiling at, Mrs.
Althea?"

" I was thinking you were tolerably ingeni-
ous in making an opportunity of speaking to mey

" What, about the glove? Ho! ho! But
your governesses are hedged in, like Ecba-
tana of old, by triple circumvallations. Never
mind : ' Where there's a will there's a way.' If
I had Mrs. Glyn all to myself, T might keep
her tied by the leg these many days ; but, you
see, Forest will look in and see how things are
going, so that won't quite do."

" At the worst, the Christmas holidays will
soon be here."

" Aye, the Christmas holidays ! She will
then go home, of com-se ?"

" I conclude she will. She thought so, I
know, before this accident."

"Ha! I must get Mrs. Glyn well as fast as
I can, then, I see."

Bever Hollow, 25

" Praj, George, does my illness depend on
your volition as Mrs. Glpi's appears to do?"

" Would that it did! — even if I were not
jesting about her. How is it with you to-day ?
You looked sadly worn when I first saw you
this morning."

*' Oh, that was only Mrs. Brand."

" Mrs. Brand! — I want to have a good talk
with you about her. I was more than ten, as
she knows well enough, when she was last
here; and my impression is, that she went
away leaving anything but an odour of
sanctity behind her. What had she been
about?"

" George, you have asked one of the most
difficult questions in the world. There are
some persons of whom you never can complain
without seeming captious or fastidious ; be-
cause the harm they do is brought about by
such small and disconnected touches, that it is

26 The Ladies of

only their multiplicity wliicli produces the
aggregate of evil."

" Just so. We call a person of that sort a
disagreeable person, or a mischievous person,
just according to the amount and nature of the
aggregate. But there must be something to
tell about her. Begin at the beginning."

" The beginning was, she and Kitty were
schoolfellows, and became cronies. They occa-
sionally spent the holidays with one another,
but not often ; for my mother, who had a very
quick insight into character, did not like Eliza's,
even as a little girl."

" Don't call her Eliza. Mrs. Brand is quite
good enough for her."

" She was not Mrs. Brand then, she was
Eliza Provost; a prettyish girl, daughter of a
country attorney in a town twenty miles off.
After they left school, she frequently invited
Kitty to pay her a long visit : my mother

Bever Hollow. 27

always declined. Kitty at length became hurt,
and said lier friend was being made to think
her proud and unsociable. As a compromise —
no, compensation, — my mother allowed Kitty
to invite her to Bever Hollow for a month ; but
she stayed twice that time. In those days,
Mr. Bohun and your father, George, were a
good deal at our house."

" Looking after you, Mrs. Althea ! "

" Oh no ! It soon became manifest that he
was looking after Kitty T

'' Not at first, though."

"At first?" repeated Mrs. Althea, rather
hesitating. " Well, at first, Eliza Provost cer-
tainly tried to captivate him."

" That wasn't the first-first, though, ma'am,"
insisted George. " She tried to get him away
from your

" You speak as if you knew all about it
already," said Mrs. Althea, faintly smiling.

28 The Ladies of

" I know this much," said George, bending
towards her, and speaking very earnestly, " that
the other day, in turning out one of the little
drawers of my father's old bureau, I found,
wedged in at the back, a little yellowish bit
of folded paper, docketed in his own hand,
' Althea's hair,' though, on opening it, I found
it empty."

" Did you?" said Mrs. Althea, with a tear in
lier eye. " I — I think I should like to see that
paper, if you happen to have preserved it,
just to be sure it is no fancy of yours,
though I assure you, / never gave him any
hair."

" Oh, he took it, I dare say," said George,
roguishly, " or got somebody else to get it for
him, — your sister, perhaps ? "

" No," said Mrs. Althea, reflectively, " it
must have been Eliza Provost. I remember
she quite worried us one day for bits of hair ;

Bever Hollow. 29

just about tlie time she was beginning to try
to please Mr. Mildmaj."

'•Which she never did, I'm clear!" cried
George.

" At any rate, she^Oh, why should we rake
up these old things?"

" Why? AVhy, because they are interesting
to us both, my dear friend. Truth lies in a
well, and we shall get down to it at last. You
see we have already turned up an interesting
fact about that lock of hair."

" Though why she should have given him a
lock of my hair is very unaccountable," said
Mrs. Althea.

" Perhaps that first put her upon finding out
he was a marrying man," suggested George.
" So then, having made out that, and dis-
cerned that he was beginning to feel a tender-
ness towards you, she tried to divert it to
herself."

30 The Ladies of

" At any rate, it ended in its being diverted
to Kitty."

" No, ma'am, it ended, if you please, in being
diverted to my mother."

They both laughed.

" It must be confessed," said George, " the
dear, good man was a little volage. Well,
what ensued after her paying her addresses to
my father?"

" George, for shame ! My mother saw enough
of what was going on to dislike it exceedingly.
At the end of the second month, she took care
that Eliza should go home. Kitty and your
father did not get on much ; he absented him-
self from us, and, in the course of a few montlis,
married your mother."

" Whom I lost too early," said George,
sighing. " Well, did anything come of Mr.
Bohun?"

'' Oh, no. Nothing, nothing. He was only a

Bever Hollow. 31

friend of the family ; a most invaluable, delight-
ful, disinterested friend. Well, we went on
very comfortably after that, till Peregrine came
home ; we then saw much company, chiefly on
his account. We had so many visitors, coming
aAd going, that my mother thought Eliza only
one among many, who could do no harm ; and
not only allowed Kitty to stay with her, but to
bring her back. Eliza was now older and
abler ; she got on much better. She set herself
to please us all ; she especially aimed to please
Peregrine, and very, veiy nearly succeeded.
As this was most opposite to the wishes of my
father and mother, they mutually interfered and
put an end to it. But Peregrine left home in
wrath ; and Eliza was exceedingly angry too,
as much so as was compatible with seeming
broken-hearted. She left us all at cross-pur-
poses ; my father, chafed with my mother for
having, lie said, been plainer with Peregrine

32 T^he Ladies of

than there was need of ; my mother vexed with
Kitty for having brought Eliza into the family ;.
and Kitty hurt at my sympathising Avith my
mother. However, it all blew over when we
heard that Peregrine had engaged himself in
anotlier and an unexceptionable quarter; and
very soon afterwards, Kitty received cards and
cake from the triumphant Mrs. Brand."

" What a blessing!"

" Mr. Brand did not prove much of a blessing,
I believe ; for he was an elderly man, of very
crabbed temper; but Kitty, who did not go
near her friend till some time after my mother's
death, said she managed him admirably."

" Managed him ! I imagine she did ! He
did not long trouble her. After his death,
which occm-red in a few years, she found herself
with just enough to maintain an appearance of
moderate gentility. Then, at Kitty's instance,
she paid us another visit, or rather visitation.

Bever Hollow, 33

Oh, what an infliction it was ! Kitty had
visited much in a new circle during her
absence from us, and she and Mrs. Brand
had a host of subjects interesting and en-
tertaining to themselves, which formed the
subjects of allusions and inuendoes in which I
could take no part. At length there seemed
quite a barrier of division raised up between
Kitty and me. Oh, George, how sad it was !
I could cry over it when I think of it. I have
cried over it dozens of times !"

George groaned.

^' My poor father was then confined to his
easy-chair by rheumatic gout. I kept with him
as much as I could ; read to him, wrote for him,
talked to him. All at once, Mrs. Brand became
very attentive to him. If I left the room for
a £ew minutes, I found her in my chair beside
him when I returned. Do you remember her
saying this morning, she- had planted herself

VOL. II. D

34 ^he Ladies of

here to see you ? Well, she used to plant her-
self beside my father — "

'* She sha'n't take root, though, here ! " cried
George, firing up.

" 0 George ! I hope not ! Hark ! the clock
strikes three, — she will soon return. We had
better not speak of her any more."

" I must be off, or she'll catch me!"

" Never let yourself be caught ! Never let
her catch you ! — George ! see ! — She caught, or
tried to catch your father, Mr. Bohun, her o^vn
husband, my brother, my father, my sister ;
and if her evil influence should at length
extend to you — where am I ? what will become
of me? whom have I left?"

Mrs. Althea cried bitterly. He caught her
hand, and held it.

" If you ever find her establishing herself
here — if you ever find her getting between me
and Kitty : if you find her going about from

Bever Hollow, 35

house to house, sowing gossip and calum-
nies— "

" Never fear ! I'll be even with her !"
" If she begins to steal on you with hints that
her dear Althea is very imaginative, very fan-
ciful, very over-wrought, hardly fit to be trusted
to her own judgment — her words, her letters
to be taken with a grain of salt — "
She was weeping helplessly.
" Mrs. Althea ! look at me ! "
She looked up at him through her tears.
" Forewarned, forearmed. I knew her by
intuition. You have possessed me of facts.
Now cast away all fear. I shall watch over
you. I shall keep my eye upon her. She shall
not do you one grain of harm. Domestically,
she may and will be a plague, as long as her
visit lasts (by the way, how could you invite her ?
— oh, to please Kitty, to be sure) ; but out of
d2

36 T^he Ladies of

doors she shall do you no mischief; nor in-
doors either, if I can help it."

He stooped his head, and kissed her hand.

" I am your knight," said he affectionately,
" as truly as St. George was Una's ; and this is
my kiss of allegiance. And now good bye, or
they'll certainly be in upon us. Professionally,
I ought not to have let you talk so much ; but
you have eased your mind and set mine to
work; so now keep as quiet as you can till
they return; and afterwards too. Think of
something quite different! Think of Pamela
and me."

" I will," said she, smiling, and drying her
eyes. " I cannot have anything pleasanter to
think about."

He pressed her hand once more, and was off.
She thought of him and Pamela for several
minutes ; and then mentally repeated some

Bever Hollow, 37

lines that she had long experienced to be un-
utterably tranquillizing.

Commit thou all thy ways

To His unerring hands.
To His sure truth and tender care.

Who earth and heaven commands.

No profit canst thou gain

By self- consuming care :
To Him commend thy cause ; His ear

Attends the softest prayer.

Give to the winds thy fears !

Hope ! and be undismayed !
He hears thy sighs. He counts thy tears,

He will lift up thy head.

Through waves and clouds and storms^

He'll safely guide thy way ; —
Trust but to Him : so shall thy night

Soon end in cloudless day.

38 T^he Ladies of

CHAPTER III.
A Family Man,

Ofttimes it haps that sorrows of the mind

Ilnd remedy unsought, which seeking could not find.

SPE58EB.

T~) AMELA and her young charges had walked
-■- rather too late in the damp, leafless shrub-
bery; and the consequence was, that on the morn-
ing after the accident, she found she had caught
a severe cold ; and the nurse came to her while
she was dressing, to say that the children were
80 poorly, that she had kept them in bed.

Thus, a walk to the Hill House was quite
out of the question, even had there been no
other obstacles : and things appear so different
in the still hours of darkness, and in the bright
morning light, that Pamela's alarms had almost

Bever Hollow, 39

faded away : and slie found quite enough to
think about in the indisposition of her pupils
and herself, and in considering whether she had
any imprudence to be answerable for. She
feared she had been rather thoughtless.

On her way to the children, she passed Mrs.
Glyn's door, just as the maid was opening it ;
and paused to inquire how she had passed the
night.

" My dear, come in," said Mrs. Glyn, hearing
her voice. " Why, how wan and heavy-eyed
you look ! You have not been sitting up, I
hope?"

" Oh no, dear madam, I have only taken a
little cold. How are you this morning? "

" In a good deal of pain. I hope Mr. Forest
himself will come this morning, instead of
sending that young man. How are the chil-
dren?"

" I am sorry to say, ma'am, they seem to

40 7he Ladtes of

have taken cold. Nurse has kept them in bed,
£Hid I was just going to see them."

" Pray do so, my dear, and come back and
let me know how they are. Nurse did quite
right."

On Pamela's return to Mrs.Glyn's room, the
door was ajar, and she found Mr.Glyn standing
by his mother's bedside. He was saying, " My
dear mother, there can be no reason in the world
for sending for Mrs. Jay."

Pamela did not wish to hear any more, and
thought she might as well go down and make
the breakfast. This was. a meal the whole
family were accustomed to take together; and
she had just made the tea as usual, when Mr.
Glyn came in, and, taking his accustomed seat,
began to open his letters.

"This is an awkward accident of my mother's,
Miss Bohun," said he ; " but I fancy no great
mischief is likely to accrue from it."

Bever Hollow. 41

" I hope not," said Pamela.

" I shall hear what Forest says about it,
however," said Mr. Glyn. " The little girls, too,
I understand, are poorly. Colds, I suppose?"

" Yes, sir ; and Mrs. Glyn desii*ed to hear
my report of them as soon as I had seen them ;
therefore I had, perhaps, better go to her now ;
the tea is not quite ready."

" Pray do not hurry back on my account,"
said Mr. Glyn ; " I have plenty to do, you see.
My mother fancies I shall be unable to get on
without her, and has been talking of having a
Mrs. Jay, which would be a great bore ; so
pray don't encourage it, or let her think I
cannot get on perfectly well by myself. In
fact, I promised last night to spend the week
with Colonel Enderby ; and if Forest gives a
good report, there's no reason why I should not
go. You will send for me, you know, if I'm
wanted."

42 T^he Ladies of

"What nonchalance ! " thought Pamela rather
indignantly, as she went up to Mrs. Glyn. " I
could not speak or feel so of my mother. The
cases are different, of course : but the accident
may prove more serious than he seems willing
to think ; and, at any rate, while in suspense,
he might show a little more feeling. Perhaps
he has not much, in spite of his pleasant
manners."

" My dear," said Mrs. Glyn, when she had
heard Pamela's report, " I think the children
are much better where they are ; and you will
be with them too, and have your meals in the
day-nursery, which is a nice snug room. It
will be much the best for you to keep in the
same temperature, on this floor, as much as you
can. It occurred to me in the night, that it
would be a nice plan to have Mrs. Jay here till
I get about again, which would prevent Charles's
feeling lonely. But Charles won't hear of it,

Bever Hollow , 43

and says he would run away from her ; so we
wiU get on as well as we can."

Pamela was glad to find Mrs. G1}ti had
settled her mind so readily and reasonably.
She returned to the breakfast-room, and found
Mrs. Hutchins and nm'se waiting in the vestibule
with their trays, to carry up the breakfasts of
their respective charges.

" Well," said Mr. Glyn, as he helped himself
to cold game, '• I hope we are not going to have
Mrs. Jay?"

" I think not," said Pamela.

" Mrs. Jay is a thoroughly good creature,
but an inveterate proser. Not that I've any
objection to her coming if / go," said Mr.
Glyn, laughing. " My mother and you are
welcome to have her to yourselves; but, if
she comes, I'm off. And I would rather have
the privilege of staying, if my mother's case
proves in the least anxious. There cannot

44 ^he Ladies of

be a man who less minds knocking about by
himself now and then, than I do."

Pamela was very glad to hear it.

" You don't look very well," said he presently,
observing her for the first time. " Cold?"

" I believe so — it is not very troublesome."

" I should not be surprised if it went through
the house. You had better see Forest. He
will dose you all round. I hope I shan't be
in for it, hey ? — Shouldn't wonder if we were
in Forest's books, now, all the winter. We
were so once before."

Even Miss Roberta could hardly have seen
in this any approach to love-making: but it
was all that passed beyond the ordinary
courtesies of the table.

When Mr. Forest came, he pronounced
Pamela and the children to have incipient
influenza, and ordered strict quarantine. Of
Mrs. Glyn he hesitated to speak with such

Bever Hollow. 45

certainty of a favourable conclusion, as to
make Mr. Gljn quite easy in leaving her. He
therefore gave up his engagement to the
Colonel, and prepared to make himself as
comfortable as a study replete with luxury
•and a pile of new publications could make
him.

Mr. Forest had not seen Pamela in her new
character till now, and looked at her a little
askance. " So ! this is what you have got by
having other people's children to look after,"
muttered he, as he felt her pulse. '' You like
it, I suppose?"

" Oh yes," said Pamela stoutly, " in every
respect except that of being separated from
papa and mamma. Have you seen them
lately?" and she looked wistfully at him.

*' Oh yes. Your mother has a cold : but
don't frighten yourself. When I say a cold,
I don't mean influenza. You are far more

46 The Ladies of

likely to have a severe attack than she is: I
just looked in to pay a friendly visit, and ask
how you were."

" That was very kind of you."

" Not at all," clearing his throat. " You
know I must always take interest in you:
especially now that you are turned out of the
family nest. I suppose," in a lower voice,
" you like your surroundings ?"

" Not here, in the day-nursery," said Pam.ela,
smiling and looking at the bare walls, "so
well as in our pleasant sitting-room down-
stairs."

*' Here I shall keep you, though, for a few
days," said he, laughing, and shaking her
cordially by the hand. " Yes, yes," he
thought to himself as he left the room, " better
up here, with the rest of 'em, in these warm
carpeted galleries and air-tight vestibules, than
down among the draughts, with that handsome,

Bever Hollow. 47

idle fellow lounging over the fire." Pamela
had plenty of guardians.

Later in the day, Mr. Hill and Ehoda called
at Bever Hollow. They were leaving cards,
when Mr. Glyn, who had seen them arrive,
and was feeling rather yawnish, took advantage
of a little rain that was falling, to go out to
them and press them to come in.

The rain soon ceased ; but Ehoda, hearing
that Pamela was indisposed, asked permission
to go up to the day-nm'sery ; where, rather to
Mr. Glyn's chagrin, she remained till her uncle
sent for her. A bright thought occm*red to
Mr. Glyn, that he might ride with them ; and
while his horse was being brought out, Pamela,
who had accompanied Ehoda down-stairs,
remained chatting with her at one of the
windows.

"Have you seen Mrs. Althea lately?" sai d
she.

48 T^he Ladies of

" No," said Ehoda, " we never ride there ;
and I should take shame to myself if the roads
and commons had not been in such a state as to
be unfit for walking. Mr. Forest, however, said
that she has been very ill, but is now better."

" When I look round on these books and
portfolios of rare engravings," said Pamela,
" I sometimes wish they were mine, that I
might lend them to her."

" Pray send her what you like, Miss Bohun,"
cried Mr. Glyn, who overheard her at the
other end of the drawing-room.

'' Oh, thank you," said Pamela, colouring,
and looking pleased.

" That is — all except the Caracci portfolio,"
said Mr. Glyn, drawing nearer to her, " and
the Vandykes — I presume the old lady would
not care much for them, and I should not much
care to risk them."

Pamela smiled a little, and was silent.

Bever Hollow. 49

" Old lady ! " cried Khoda. '' We do not
consider her in that light at all ; and Mrs.
Althea has the purest taste for works of art;
indeed, I have heard Mr. Mildmay say that
some of her etchings were as good as Paul
Sandby's."

" Indeed ? then she may like to see my Paul
Sandby collection," said Mr. Glyn. " As I am
not very intimate with ^Irs. Althea myself,
perhaps you will allow me to entrust the
negotiation to you; and if you find they will
really give her pleasure, she shall have them."

Khoda gladly undertook the little com-
mission; and as the horses were now brought
round, the riders set forth. Pamela waited to'
see them mount and ride off; and she thought
Rhoda looked fluttered and pleased, as Mr.
Glyn arranged her reins and put them into
her hand. The drawing-room was delightfully •
warm : oak logs blazed on the fire ; the snow-

VOL. II. E

50 The Ladies of

white rug embedded the feet in its fleecy
softness; tempting new books, magazines, and
reviews were strewn on the table. Pamela
looked around, and thought how she should
like an hour's practice on that beautiful grand-
piano : stood a few minutes before her favourite
Cuyp ; and then ran off to the day-nursery.

When market-day came round, a farm-servant
brought Mrs. Kitty's horse to the door.

" Dear me, there's a saddle-horse ! " exclaimed
Mrs. Brand, as she came down to breakfast.
" A side-saddle, too ! ^'

" Did not Kitty tell you over-night she was
going to market this morning ? " said Mrs.
Althea. *' I think you observed that you should
have letters to write."

" Dear me ! yes," said Mrs. Brand ; " but I
could not conceive — I did not understand — I
never realized till now— in what way — "

The last two words were almost inaudible — a

Bever Hollow, 51

minute or two afterwards, Mrs. Althea, looking
up, saw, to her surprise, Mrs. Brand's face
covered with her handkerchief.

" Is anything the matter?" said she.

" Oh, never mind — I shall he better presently
— don't take any notice," said Mrs. Brand,
rubbing her eyes very hard with her handker-
chief. Mrs. Althea complied with her request.

The next moment — enter Mrs. Kitty, in
riding habiliments, and jovial spirits. Not
seeing Mrs. Brand, who was a little behind the
curtain, she went straight up to her sister, whom
she kissed, and then, spreading out her riding-
skirt —

*' Only see, Althea ! " said she, " what a
nasty jag the habit-pin has made in the
cloth ! "

" I'll draw it together in a minute for you,"
says Mrs. Althea.

" Oh no, my dear ! I haven't time. We are
e2

W^^^. ^ennNO^

52 The Ladies of

late already ; and as soon as prayers and break-
fast are over, I must be off. Only, I don't think

shall use a habit-pin any more ; because,
where's the good ? I've nobody to take it out
for me ; and if my habit does catch the wind a
little, what does it signify ? I'm no girl, nor
yet fine lady ; and when I was a girl, folks used
to say I had a well-turned ankle, hey?" and
she laughed merrily.

" And spoke the truth in saying so," said
Mrs. Althea, cordially.

^^ Truly they did," said Mrs. Brand, emerging
from her retirement.

^^ Dear me, are you down, Eliza?" said Mrs.
Kitty, ringing the bell loudly; '^ we have no time
to lose. You've a sty coming in your eye."

" Oh, no," said Mrs. Brand, faintly.

" 'Tis so, I assure you." Mrs. Brand coughed,
and would have dallied with the subject a little,
but Hannah answered the bell, and Mrs. Kitty

Bever Hollow, 53

immediately opened the large Bible. Break-
fast immediately followed prayers ; and Mrs.
Kitty, not keeping her seat two minutes toge-
ther, was continually popping in and out, giving
orders with her mouth full, conning memoranda
on her slate, and telling Mrs. Althea, more than
once, that if John Twiddy should come, he
must call again when she was at home, for
there had been an error of two and eightpence
in their last settlement.

" What spirits you have, Kate !" said Mrs.
Brand, admiringly.

" Oh, what should hinder me of them, on a
fine morning like this?" said Mrs. Kitty.
" Market-day always puts me in spirits. I
expect to do a good stroke of business this
morning in the bean-market. I only wish you
could go with me."

"7.?— my dear Kate!"

" Well, I know it can't be, because we

54 '^he Ladies of

haven't another saddle-horse ; and perhaps, even
if I had got Farmer Stone to lend us his light
chaise, you might not have liked to go in it."

"No, I certainly should not," said Mrs.
Brand with constraint, " nor have liked you to
drive it. The horse is preferable to that."

" For one, but not for two. That's the only
thing."

"My dear Kate, what should I do in the
bean-market? "

" Oh, of course, no good. Only look about
you a little."

" Pd much rather not look about me, if I were
there," said Mrs. Brand, smiling expressively.

" What ! for fear of seeing any one you knew?
Dear me, Eliza, if you have any sensitivity of
that sort, mine has been worn out long ago, I
can tell you! "

"Your spirit is subdued to what it works in,"
said Mrs. Brand, plaintively.

Bever Hollow.

SS

"Quite," said ^Irs. Kitty, with a joyous
laugh. " So, ma'am, if you like to see me
mount, now's your time. Bring out the chair,
Hannah ! "

" You dear oddity ! " cried Mrs. Brand, try-
ing to give her a caress as she hastened by her.
" A chair, indeed ! I remember when that was
not the way you used to mount, Kate ! '*

" Oh, of course," said !Mrs. Kitty, tucking her
whip under her arm while she pulled on her
strong gloves. "Young girls can spring into
their saddles as light as a feather, and young
men are very happy to help them ; but Tm
neither young, now, nor as light as a feather,
and am very thankful to be as active as I am at
my time of life — "

" One would think you were quite advanced
in years, Kate ! " said Mrs. Brand, following
her out.

" Not to see me do this," said Mrs. Kitty,

56 T^he Ladies of

nimbly ascending to her saddle. Hannah
settled her habit ; and then, merrily waving her
hand, she " laughed and rode away."

Mrs. Brand returned to the parlour and sighed
profoundly. Both the ladies knitted for some
time in silence. At length Mrs. Brand ex-
claimed—

"'Tis no use musing on the past. Regrets
are dangerous."

"Yes, I think they are sometimes, though
one can't always help them,^' said Mrs. Althea.
*' However, musing on the past need not be'
regretful. I often indulge in it."

" Is it possible ? " said Mrs. Brand.

"Why not?"

" Oh, you have such a dreary, life to look back
upon ! "

" We have had some great afflictions, cer-
tainly ; but likewise many blessings : and even
afflictions — "

Bever Hollow, 57

"Prove blessings in disguise," said Mrs.
Brand. " Ah yes, just so — but still, wben one's
position has very much altered, and one's fortune
has very much decreased, and one's expectations
have been much disappointed, and one's family
and early friends have dropped off, — a single
woman has much to deject her."

" I admit it," said Mrs. Althea, touched with
sudden pity, as she supposed Mrs. Brand re-
ferring to her own case; "your position is
isolated at present, I grant, but still — "

"Mine?" cried Mrs. Brand, with wide-
opened eyes, and looking half-affronted. " I said
single women. I was thinking of Kitty and
you."

" Oh, we are double," said Mrs. Althea,
"and that divides our troubles and doubles
our pleasures."

" Well, I can't understand it," said Mrs.
Brand. " I always had too sensitive a nature,

58 The Ladies of

I believe. In your position I should be
wretched."

"But why?"

" Oh, every energy would seem ' cribbed,
cabined, and confined ! ' I should so hate to
be useless ; I should fancy myself such an in-
cumbrance to others ! I should long so to help
them in whatever they were about ; to relieve
them of this or that care, to be of some import-
ance in my own little world, to — "

" All this—" began Mrs. Althea.

" To take active exercise," continued Mrs.
Brand ; " to get to church, to go about among
the poor, and among my friends — "

" All this, or much of it, I have felt at times,"
said Mrs. Althea ; " but I have sought and
found submission, and the privations are more
easily borne than you would think when they
are once recognised as coming from our heavenly
Father."

Bever Hollow, 59

*' Dear me, yes," said Mrs. Brand ; " I liave
heard many invalids say so. It is quite a
common thing, I believe, though I have never
been put to any such painful experience. My
health has always been veiy good ; my spirits
have always been very equal : indeed, I've been
frequently told that the reason I have enjoyed
such fine health is, that my spirits are so equaL
Nothing impairs health more than uneven
spirits — except uneven temper: so much so, that
I declare I am getting more and more into the
way, when I hear people complaining of the
one, of setting it down to the other."

Mrs. Althea knitted in silence.

" Kate, now, has a golden temper," suddenly
cried Mrs. Brand.

"• She has," said Mrs. Althea.

" And see what health she has ! " exclaimed
Mrs. Brand.

6o The laddies of

" Long may she have it," said Mrs. Althea,
faltering.

" Truly, for your own sake."

'' Oh, for hers."

" For your own sake, if for no other, I was
going to say ; for where would you be without
her?"

" Ah, I want no reminder of that ! "

Another pause.

^' Yes ; it is sad," resumed Mrs. Brand,
"when two unmarried women, advancing in
years, live together, to think that one must
survive the other! "

Another pause.

"The surviving one," said Mrs. Brand, re-
flectively, " could not indulge much in musing
on the past, I should think, without regrets ? "

Silence.

" Well, I shall go and write my letters."

Bever Hollow. 6i

Mrs. Altliea's heart felt as heavy as lead.
She stretched out her hand to a thick little
book within her reach, George Wither^s poems,
and sighing, opened on this :

0 ! were it not that God hath given me
Some trials of those comfortings which He
For men in their extremities provides,
And from the knowledges of others hides,
What liberty He gives when we do fall
Within the compass of an outward thrall,
And what contentments He bestows on them
Whom others do neglect, or else contemn —
Yea ! had I not believed Him who says
That God doth knowledge take of all our ways.
That He obsen-es each rock within our path,
With every secret sorrow that it hath.
That He then nearest is when we bemoan
His absence, and suppose Him farthest gone —
Had this been hidden from me, I had here.
For every line I writ, dropped down a tear.
But I so oft have found, to my content,
And felt so oft whjit comforts Grod hath sent,
When of all outward helps we are deprived,
That (would the same by all men were believed I )
It might be thought true pleasures were possessed
Of none but men forsaken and distressed !

62 The Ladies of

" True poet ! sincere believer ! And he who
penned this consolation," thought Mrs. Althea,
" lay in the close, sordid precincts of the
Marshalsea prison ; and therein God gave him
spirit to sing sweetly as a lark."

Bever Hollow, 63

CHAPTER IV.
Head and Hands.

Yet did she not lament with loud allew.

As women wont, but with deep sighs and singulfs few.

Spensee.

"T^EAR me, what a crick I have in my

-*^ back ! " cried Mrs. Kitty at tea-time.

" Ah ! " said Mrs. Brand, with a very meaning
shake of the head — if any one had but known
what the meaning was.

" I hope your rheumatism is not coming
back, Kitty/' said Mrs. Althea. " The fogs
were rising when you came in."

" Oh no," said Kitty, " and the crick is
quite gone now."

64 The Ladies of

" I have a theory of my own about that
crick," said Mrs. Brand.

"What is it?" said Kitty, who was pouring
out tea.

" Another time," said Mrs. Brand sotto voce.

" Pray let me hear your theory," said Mrs.
Althea. " Kitty's health is as valuable to me,
I suppose, as to any one living."

"I believe the crick is a sprain," said Mrs.
Brand.

" Oh no," said Kitty.

" Well, I hope it mayn't prove so," said Mrs.
Brand.

" How should I sprain myself?" cried Kitty.

" Nay, Kitty," interposed Mrs. Althea, " you
are so alert that there are plenty of ways in
which you may have sprained yourself."

" And one is enough," said Mrs. Brand.

" But I have not done anything beyond
common," persisted Kitty.

Bever fiollow, 65

" What ! " cried Mrs. Brand, lifting Ler
hands. '' Were you not telling me you had
carried Althea to the other end of the room?"

" Oh," said Kitty, colom'ing, " that was a bit
of a brag."

" I wish she had not done it, though," sa'id
i^Irs. Althea, wistfully. " But you never told
me, dearest Kitty, that you had sprained your-
self by it."

"Nor did I," said Kitty, stoutly. " Tliis
little crick, just now, was only just a little
passing prick between my shoulders. I wish I
had not been so stupid as to name it. I dare
say it was a little twinge of my old enemy."

This would quite have satisfied Mrs. Althea
if she had not perceived, or thought she per-
ceived, an interchange of looks between her com-
panions. From that moment, she became uneasy.

" What delicious bread this is, Kate ! — I beg
pardon, — Kitty ! " said Mrs. Brand.

VOL. II. F

66 The Ladies of

" Oh, pray call me Kate, if you like," said
Mrs. Kitty.

" Althea does not like it," said Mrs. Brand.

Mrs. Althea held her peace.

"Now, do you, Althea?" cried Mrs. Brand.
*♦ Be candid."

" Candidly, then, I do not," said Mrs. Althea.
" I always think there is a little bad taste in
calling any one by a name, or an abbreviation,
that is not recognised in their own families."

" I'm answered," said Mrs. Brand, smiling,
and nodding triumphantly at Kitty.

'* Well," cried Kitty, " sooner than accuse
you of bad taste, Eliza, I would hear you call
me Kate all the days of your life. So do if
you like it."

" Thank you! Then I certainly will," said
Mrs. Brand. " It calls up such pleasing
memories ! Pleasing and painful too ! " And
she heaved a sigh.

Bever Hollow. 67

" My father and mother always called me
Kitty," said Mrs. Kitty, " and therefore I like
the name. But Peregrine often called me
Kate ; so I like that too."

" How thoroughly domestic you are, Kate,
even in your memories ! You dwell on the
recollections of your family with fond tender-
ness, while those who admired and sought you
are utterly forgotten, or thought of with perfect
indifference."

" Why not ? " said Kitty. " I should have
liked to get married well enough at one time, —
to have a house of my own and so forth, — but
there never was a man likely to ask me, for
whom I cared a halfpenny."

'* Kate ! "

'' Not a straw ! "

" Kate ! "

'' Not a pin ! "

*' Ah well, — it may have been so. — Cer-
f2

68 T^he Ladies of

tainly, this is tlie very best butter I ever
tasted," said Mrs. Brand.

" Ah, you know my weak side," said
Kitty.

«• Why, what can you have to do with it?"
said Mrs. Brand. "Oh! — Aye, I remember.
Well, Lady Eleanor Butler and Miss Ponsonby
had an apparatus in their fancy dairy for
making a pat of butter for their breakfast
without soiling their hands."

" Ours is not a fancy dairy, though," said
Mrs. Kitty ; "we make plenty of butter, and
cheese too, for the market as well as ourselves ;
and our butter fetches a penny a pound more
than other people's from the badger."

*' Badger! who's he?"

*' The dealer that buys up the stock direct
from the dairy, without ever letting it get into
the market. He has given me a penny a
pound more, ever since I buried it."

Bever Hollow, 69

"Buried what?"

" Why, the butter. We pour the cream into
a clean cloth, tie it up like a pudding, put
another cloth round it to keep off the dirt, dig
a hole, bury it, and in the course of a few hours
dig it up again. When poured into a bowl,
and stirred smoothly round for a few minutes
with a roliing-pin, the buttermilk separates
rom it, and there's your butter ! "

Mrs. Brand laughed heartily at this, and said
she had never heard of such a thing in her life.
" Where could you pick it up, Kate ? Is it the
custom of the country ? "

" Oh dear, no ; Althea found it in one of her
books."

" ' Practical Economy,^ " said Mrs. Althea.

" You two ought to be called Theory and
Practice," cried Mrs. Brand.

" Before I was laid up, I hope I was not
merely Theory," said Mrs. Althea.

70 The Laches of

^' Surely no," said Mrs. Kitty. "You always
used to attend to the butter and honey. And
you keep the accounts still."

" Head and Hands, then," said Mrs. Brand.

" My head is not worth what it was," said
Mrs. Althea, sighing.

" Ah, we all feel our faculties decay as time
wears away," said Mrs. Brand, soothingly.

Here Hannah entered with a brace of pheasants
and leash of partridges, together with a note for
Mrs. Althea.

" What fine birds ! " cried Mrs. Brand.

The note was from Ehoda ; and ran thus : —

" Carlton Hall, Wednesday Afternoon.

" Dear Mrs. Althea,

" My uncle begs you to accept the results of
his morning's sport ; and I take the same
opportunity of mentioning that Mr. Glyn,
hearing from me how beautifully you used

Bever Hollow, Ji

to etch, will be liappy to lend you his col-
lection of etchings by Paul Sandby, if it
will give you any pleasure to look them
through."

" How very kind ! " said Mrs. Althea, who
was reading her note aloud. She opened her
little letter-case, and wrote a line of glad
acceptance to Rhoda, while Mrs. Kitty disbursed
a shilling for the bearer.

" Rhoda will soon come to see me," said
Mrs. Althea. " She saw Pamela to-day, and
found she had a bad cold."

" Who are these young people, pray?" said
Mrs. Brand ; " and who is Mr. Glyn ? "

Mrs. Kitty explained.

" Ah, he may be as good-looking and high-
bom as you please," cried Mrs. Brand ; " but I
know I never could bear him."

'^ Why ? "

72 The Ladies of

" Can you ask ? Because he occupies Bever
Hollow. I shall always consider him a
usurper."

" A man cannot be said to usurp what he
has bought and paid for," said Mrs. Althea.
"We were very thankful to find such a liberal
purchaser."

" Yes, indeed! " said Kitty, energetically.

" Well, I'm glad you found him such," said
Mrs. Brand. "Ihav'n't a notion how much such
a place as Bever Hollow might fetch."

The servant entering to clear the table,
neither of the sisters thought it necessary to
enlighten her ; and Kitty presently leaving the
room, Mrs. Althea challenged Mrs. Brand to a
game of chess. Mrs. Brand declared she should
like it uncommonly, but doubted wliether it
would be civil to Kate to play a game which
would exclude one of the three. On Mrs.
Kitty's return, however, she brought a cribbage-

Bever Hollow. 73

board with her, and challenged her friend to a
game, to which she made no objection. Mrs.
Althea smiled inwardly, and took up a book.

" The kitchen chimney's a-fire, mum," said
Hannah, putting in her head at the door.

" 0 goodness ! " exclaimed Mrs. Brand.

"Don't flurry yourself, Althea ! " cried Mrs.
Kitty, running off. " Call the men, Hannah — "

"No, no," cried Mrs. Althea, "empty the
salt-box on the fire ! "

Kitty gave a look of delighted intelligence
and darted out, while Mrs. Brand sedulously
re-arranged the overtm-ned cribbage-board.
Before she had accomplished this, Kitty re-
turned, scorched, but complacent.

" And the fire ? " said Mrs. Brand.

"Out!" said Kitty. "The salt produced
some chemical change, and extinguished th
flames. There's the advantage, you see^ of
Head and Hands ! "

74 Tl^^ Ladies of

CHAPTER Y.

Mr. Glyn in Private Life.

Would you the bloom of youth should last ?

'Tis virtue that must bind it fast ;

An easy carnage, wholly free

From sour reserves, or levity ;

Good-natured mirth, an open heart,

And looks unskilled in any art ;

Humility enough to own

The foibles which a friend makes known.

And decent pride enough to know

The worth that virtu# can bestow.

Moore's Fables for the Fe/aale Sex.

MRS. Glyn, when she found her son had
ridden out, sent for Pamela to amuse her.
" I thought 1 heard a strange voice in the
gallery just now," said she ; " a female voice."

" It was Miss Rhoda Hill's, ma'am," said
Pamela. " She felt herself awkward down-
stairs without you, and therefore made her way
up to the nursery."

Bever Hollow. 75

" I wonder she came in at all," said Mrs.
Gljn. " Wliat need was there for more than
inquiries and cards ? "

" Mr. Gljn went out to them, ma'am, Miss
Hill told me, and begged them to come in,
because it was raining."

" Oh, if Charles thought it worth while to
go out and press them, that altered the case.
I dare say he misses me, poor fellow. But
these ]jarvenus have a knack of being forward.
What do you think of this young lady, my dear ?
Have you seen much of her ? "

" We have met two or three times at Mrs.
Althea's," said Pamela. " That is all. Only,
there is such an absence of constraint and form-
ality at the Hill House that every one is at ease,
and people soon learn to understand one another."

" Humph ! And your impression of this
Miss Khoda— "

" My impression is, that she is a very nice
sort of girl," said Pamela. '' Very gentle,

76 The Ladies of

sweet-temperedj cheerful, and accomplished.
Not very strong-minded, perhaps."

" None the worse, may be, for that," said
Mrs. Glyn, sighing.

" Dear madam, do you think so ? "

" I don't know that it adds to our happiness
or makes us liked," said Mrs. Glyn. "I am
generally thought to have a strong mind ; but
half my life I have been rowing against the
stream — fishing in troubled waters."

" Well," said Pamela, " I feel quite sure that
I could neither love nor respect a weak-minded
person like a strong-minded one."

" It makes them very yielding," said Mrs.
Glyn.

" Not always, I think," said Pamela. " They
fret, and are peevish, sometimes, and do not
know their own mind about the most trifling
things; and sometimes yielding is morally -wrong."

" Yes, sometimes : not in the little daily
affairs of life."

Bever Hollow. jj

" I'm afraid I am not very yielding," said
Pamela.

" Then you would not suit Charles," cried
Mrs. Glyn. " He likes a woman to be as soft
as pap."

Pamela laughed, and said she was surprised
to hear it. She should have thought he would
have liked a little more spirit.

" Oh no ! Spirit does not suit him at all,"
said ^Irs. Glyn. '' He may amuse himself
with it, but he'll never marry a woman of
spirit."

" Was Mrs. Charles Glyn very yielding,
ma'am ? "

" My dear, she was so to excess. She was
brought up among Dissenters, but immediately
acceded to Charles's wish that she should
conform to the Church."

" Did not that show a little indifference,
ma'am?"

VOL. II. a

yS The Ladies of

'* Not to Am," said Mrs.Glyn.

" No, certainly."

" And she preferred town to country ; but, to
please him, scarcely ever went to London."

" That was very amiable."

" Why, yes. . . I was against the match at
first, not on account of herself, but of her family,
and was very cool to her for a while ; but really
it was so impossible to find anything objection-
able in a young woman who never made an
objection, that I found I could not keep it up —
poor little woman."

"I suppose," resumed Mrs. Glyn, after a
pause, '' that the Miss Halls are to be ranked
among your strong-minded women?"

"Yes, certainly so, I think. Mrs. Kitty
would not have embarked in her farming other-
wise, nor could Mrs. Althea have supported her
long illness so well."

" She has every comfort, I suppose? "

Bever Hollow. 79

^' Yes, except bodily ease. Her friends let
her want for nothing."

" Humph ! we have never been included
among them, and yet one would like to contri-
bute something."

"Mr. Glyn is going to do so, ma'am. He
has commissioned Miss Ehoda Hill to offer her
the loan of his Paul Sandby etchings."

" Ho ! And do you suppose she will care to
see them? "

*' Oh yes. She is, or has been, a good
artist."

" Does she suffer much, do you think? "

" At times. But she says she gets used
to it."

"I doubt if I could ever get used to pain,"
said Mrs. Glyn, wincing. " Depend on it,
Miss Bohun, if she says so sincerely, she must
be a strong-minded woman. People say those
things insincerely sometimes."
g2

8o The Ladies of

"I am sure Mrs. Althea is not insiucere,"
said Pamela. *' But she makes the best of it ;
from aiFection to her sister, from an energetic
disposition, and from a cheerful submission to
the will of God."

"Miss Rickards is another strong-minded
woman," said Mrs. Glyn.

" Oh, I don't call her so," said Pamela,
laughing ; " strong-tempered, rather."

" Well, I believe what is called strong mind,
might sometimes better be called bad temper,"
said Mrs. Glyn. "A strong will, that is
selfishly bent on having its own way. People
of this kind succeed ; but they are not liked.
We prefer those who have more address, more
finesse."

" Ah, I hate finesse, ma'am," cried Pamela
hardily ; " and could never practise address."

"Well, you have something intrepid about

Bever Hollow. 8 1

you, I can see ; but, my dear, you have lived
very little in the world."

*' Very little indeed," said Pamela, laughing ;
*' but papa thinks — "

She was interrupted by a violent fit of
coughing ; and Mrs. Glyn, compassionating her,
desisted from making her talk, and let her knit
in silence, till summoned to the nursery tea-
table.

" You had a pleasant ride, I hope, my dear
Charles," said Mrs. Glyn, when her son next
looked in on her.

*' Pretty well, ma'am, thank you. I fell in
with Symes coming back, and we had a good
deal of talk about his bay mare."

" That would hardly suffice for a pleasant
ride, I should think," said Mrs. Glyn, drily.
" You went out with companions, I under-
stood."

"Oh, Mr. and Miss HiU. Yes; and the

82 7 he Ladies of

old gentleman turns out to be a great chess-
player. I've accepted a challenge of his, for
really there is not a good player hereabouts,
and I am getting rusty. Miss Hill — "

*' Miss Mode Hill."

" No, mamma. Miss Hill asked me to lunch
there to-morrow, and then Mr. Hill and I are
to have a set to."

" Well, but Miss Ehoda Hill was your riding
companion ? "

"Ehoda — yes. She is a niceish little girl.
Oh, I like her, I assure you. But I suspect
that her cousins treat her in a Cinderella sort
of a way. I shall see a little more into it
to-morrow. It is very wrong of them; and,
although her position is at present subordinate
to theirs, her connexions are better, for her
mother was a Vane."

"Indeed! why, we intermarried with the
Vanes. Not very recently, though."

Bever Hollow. 83

*'No. So I told her, and laughed, and
claimed her for a cousin."

'' That she is noty

" No; only it amuses one to get hold of some-
thing of this sort to laugh about. It makes a
starting-point; gives you something in common,
which it is rather difficult to find in that house."

" Difficult, and not very desirable," said
Mrs. Glyn. " There's the second dinner-bell.
So you are going away without asking me how
I am."

^' Viy dear mother, you took the word out of
my mouth at first coming in. You know you
began at once about the Hills. I am afiraid
you have had a long, lonely afternoon."

*' No ; when I felt lonely, I sent for Miss
Bohun. Go, my dear Charles, go; your fish
wiU be cold."

And, as he went off, she said to herself,
" Yes, yes ; I sent for Miss Bohun ; whenever

84 The Ladles of

I feel lonely, I can send for Miss Bohun. No
thanks to you, though. Master Charles.'*

When Mr. Glyn returned the next day from
lunching with the Hills, he went up to his
mother in great excitement. Pamela, who was
taking up a dropped row of stitching for Mrs.
Glyn, remained to finish it.

" Mamma," said he, sitting down "by her in
her easy chair, " we had quite an event this
morning ; a shocking one, I assure you. The
two eldest Miss Hills had made more of a
toilet than ladies generally do so early in the
morning, I think ; and were in dresses ridi-
culously thin for this time of year, — clear, and
sticking very much out, you know. One of
them, whisking by the fire rather carelessly,
was in flames in a moment. Mr. Hill and I
were deep in our chess, when a scream made
me look round, and there was Charlotte, all on
fire, rushing frantically towards the door; when

Bever Hollow, ' 85

what did tliat noble girl, Ehoda, do, but seize
her, drag her back, and fling her on the rug,
which she wrapped round her till she extin-
guished the flames."

" Ah ! " cried Pamela.

" Well done, indeed ! " cried Mrs. Glyn.
" My dear Charles, were not the poor girls
dreadfully hurt ? "

" Miss Charlotte was carried ofi" in hysterics,
and I heard a great uproar going on in the
house — bells ringing, men sent for doctor, and
so forth. Also a gi*eat cry for cotton wool.
But—

The man recovered of the wound,
It was the dog that died.

Miss Charlotte proved to be scarcely singed :
while Ehoda, who saved her life, had awfully
scorched her pretty, pretty hands and arms."

** Poor, poor Khoda ! " ejaculated Pamela.

"Poor Ehoda ! " repeated Mrs. Glyn.

86 The Ladies of

"Yes; I thought Miss Charlotte might as
well have kissed her," said Mr. Gljn.

" My dear Charles, consider her own danger,
and friglit, and pain. She had not time to
think about it."

"Oh yes, mamma; Tve had time to think about
it all the way home ; and she might have given
a kiss of impulse. But there was no impulse."

" But where was the elder sister? where was
Miss Hill?"

" Oh, she came running out of the little
drawing-room, and, to do her justice, was
frightened enough; but she did nothing but
scream. She patted the rug down a little
on her sister, when the fire was quite out.
Then she went off, with her arm round
Charlotte's waist, Khoda following. I, holding
the door open for them, said to Khoda, '• You
are severely burnt, I'm sure.' She looked
very white, but said, ' Oh, it's of no conse-

Bever Hollow, 87

quence ; I shall get some cotton wool. I am so
glad I saved Charlotte ! ' And her ejes were
full of tears."

" Poor soul ! " said Mrs. Glyn.

Pamela sighed deeply, and did not go away.

" So you waited," pursued his mother.

" I waited to hear the doctor's report. Mr.
Hill, you know, wanted some one to enable
him to bear the suspense ; for, till Forest came,
mark you, we did not know how much Miss
Charlotte was burnt, but supposed her very
seriously injured: especially as she made so
much noise about it. So Mr. Hill and I played
out our game, and I mated him, which was not
surprising under the circumstances ; I donH say
it in disparagement of his play at all ; I know
he wasn't thinking of what he was about. So
Forest came at last, and quite eased the poor
old gentleman's mind by telling him Miss
Charlotte had sustained no hurt whatsoever

88 The Ladies of

beyond tlie fright, whicli had given her nerves
a shock that made it as well for her to keep
her room the rest of the day ; but that Miss
Ehoda was much more injured. Here the poor
old gentleman became affected, and murmured,
* Poor Khoda ! dear Ehoda ! she saved my dear
child's life.' I said, * No permanent injury
to that pretty hand and arm, I hope, INIr.
Forest ? ' He smiled at me and said, * No per-
manent injury, but a good deal of present pain.'
' May I go and see my dear girls ? ' says Mr.
Hill, wiping his eyes. *By all means, sir,'
said Forest ; so then, you know, I shook hands
and came away. I fancy Rhoda came in for a
kiss from her uncle at any rate. Mamma, I
hope you keep plenty of cotton wool in the
house ; the children may catch fire some day.
It's an awful thing to see, I assure you, a
woman all in flames ! "

Bever Hollow. 89

CHAPTER YI.
Board and Lodging,

Hark ! how the rain pours o'er the wide champaign.
And swells the torrents rushing down the hilla !
Are living things abroad on such a night ?
******

Some doctor's horse dashes along the road
To distant patient. From his warm fireside
The good man goes, amid the wintry storm,
To some sick couch, perchance to look on death.

II /TESSRS. Forest and Mildmaj had a busy
-^'-^ time of it this winter ; I am afraid to say
how many horses they knocked up. " But
then," as George said, " ice are knocked up too.
I wish sometimes, just as I am warm in bed,
that the wire of that horrid night-bell would
break. I never could see the joke of painting
up ' Knock and ring.' People are safe enough
to do both if they want you; it's a liberty

90 The Ladies of

they never require to be invited to take ; and if
they don't want you, where's the good ? ' Please
don't knock and ring, if you can possibly help
it,' would be more to the purpose ! "

" Ah, you talk with the recklessness of a
man in full practice," said Mrs. Althea. " Time
was, when you were glad enough to hear the
night-bell."

'* Well, then, that time is completely gone
by. Now that we are quite by ourselves, dear
Mrs. Althea, see ! here is the crumpled little
yellow bit of paper docketed ^ Althea's hair.' "

*' It — it looks like his hand," said she, after
bending over it closely, as if short-sighted —
George thought, to conceal a tear. " Thank
you — " returning it to him.

** Nay, it's of no value to me ; I shall not
keep it. If you do not want it, I will put it in
the fire."

" Please, don't ! "

Bever Hollow. gi

And her hand was hastily stretched out to
reclaim it.

'' He was an old friend," said she ; " an old
and dear friend. So we will not burn this little
vestige of his kind and friendly feeling towards
me.

" Something a good deal more than that,
ma'am, I'm thinking," said George. " How-
ever, we'll change the subject. Is it not a bore
that I have never been able to get over to Bever
Hollow since I last saw you? "

" What has hindered you?"

" The queer old lady likes Forest best! So
does that nonchalant fellow, her son. ' Forest,'
says he, ' I'll be obliged by your giving my
mother's case your own particular, personal
attention. Old ladies don't get over these
things sometimes.' So, what could Forest do,
you know? or what could I? I'm going to
ride over there this morning, though, because
Forest is called away in a different direction.

92 The Ladies of

Well, and where is my dear friend Mrs.
Brand?"

" She and Kitty are gone to look at some
lodgings; rather against the grain, I sus-
pect."

" Why, she doesn't want to live here always,
I suppose!"

" I think she would be very glad to remain
with us till the spring. It would be both
cheaper and more cheerful than being in soli-
tary lodgings."

" Let her pay for her board, then ! "
<' My dear George ! "

" Let her pay for her board, ma'am, I say ! I'll
broach the subject to her in the neatest way in
the world ! Have a qind pro quo, at any rate."
" I don't think it would be an equivalent,
even if we could accept it with any delicacy.
She would then consider herself at liberty to
remain as long as she liked: and it would
destroy the happiness of my life."

Bever Hollow, 93

*' Perhaps the proposal would frighten her
away."

" More likely, make her very indignant. Oh
no, George ; I must take what comes. However
trying such things may be, they are part of the
discipline which we need."

" Well, ma'am, if you think so ; though I
should have real pleasure in broaching the
subject to her — "

" I dare say you would ! "

" But, since it must not be, I can only regret
it. So, now for Pamela and Bever Hollow.
Oh, Mrs. Althea, if she should like Forest best ! "

Mrs. Althea had pretty good reason to know
there was no danger of that.

Considering that Mrs. Brand and Mrs. Kitty

certainly were not in the house at the time this

dialogue took place, the subject started by ^Irs.

Kitty on her return had a singular affinity to it.

" Althea ! " said she, sitting down close to

VOL. II. H

94 The Ladies of

her sister, and speaking in a low tone, very
eagerly, " while we were out, Eliza made a
most generous proposal."

"What was it?" said Mrs. Althea, with a
kind of presentiment.

" The lodgings wouldn't do," said Kitty,
rapidly ; " and there seems so little chance of
getting any this quarter, the weather being so
unfavourable for moving, and so forth, that
Eliza, in the handsomest way, has offered to
pay for her board and lodging with us while
she remains; saying we are so endeared to
her that she cannot bear the thought of going
before the spring. So, I hope, Althea, every
objection is removed. A guinea and a half —
no, a sovereign and a half, a week ! Half her
income, you know!"

" What I feared! " ejaculated Mrs. Althea.

" What do you mean?" said Kitty.

" Not to accept it, on any account, Kitty.

Bever Hollow. 95

Thirty shillings a week would be no compen-
sation for our loss of independence."

" Don't talk of shillings, it sounds so com-
mercial/' said Mrs. Kitty. " Eliza is one of the
very few persons, nay, the only one, I believe,
from whom we could accept any terms of
the sort: but she feels so completely one of
ourselves — "

*' I don't feel her one of ourselves ! "

" That we can, without humiliation, receive
an equivalent from her. At least, I know / am
not above being beholden to my friend."

" It would be no equivalent, dear Kitty."

" 0 Althea ! — What, not for board and lodg-
ing?"

" Not for peace and comfort."

" Why, what difference would it make in
the way we are going on already? There
is no time fixed for her going, you know."

" More the pity ; but as long as she is here
h2

96 The Ladies of

only on sufferance, she is in a less formidable
position than if she paid for what she had."

" Well, you use very odd ^pressions, Althea,
sometimes, considering how particular you are
at other times. Formidable, and on sufferance,
indeed! For my part, I consider it a very
desirable offer. We secure a cheerful com-
panion for the winter, and at no expense : nay,
I'll answer for making it something into pocket."

" Oh, I care for nothing into pocket," said
Mrs. Althea. " Why should we take boarders ?
We never did, when we were worse off."

" Well, we have not time, just now, to pur-
sue the question, for she will be coming in
directly."

" Yes, dear Kitty, and that 'is one of the dis-
advantages of her being here ; we never can, at
our leisure, pursue any question. It was so
about the extra fire ; it was so about the Sunday
breakfast hour — "

Bever Hollow, 97

*^ Oh, don't let us rake up those old griev-
ances. Take time to think about it, as you said
to me when she first wrote to propose coming.
Take time to think about it, till bedtime : or
even till to-morrow morning, if jou will. In
the meantime, we will say nothing about it."

And away hurried Mrs. Kitty.

She did not give her sister till the morrow,
however, to deliberate ; but, having assisted her
at night in her painful progress to her bed, sent
away Hannah, whose aid was always required
on these occasions, and sitting down on the
edge of Mrs. Althea's bed, said eagerly —

" Well, have you thought about it?"

''About what?" said Mrs. Althea, reluc-
tantly.

" About Eliza paying us."

" I thought I was to have till to-morrow — "

" Yes, but it seems so thankless to hang
back, that if you really know your own mind — "

98 T^he Ladies of

^' I do, Kitty. My mind is not to accept her
for a boarder."

" Then there's thirty shillings a week lite-
rally flung away!" exclaimed Kitty.

" Well, my dear Kitty, we don't want them :
at least, we did not before Mrs. Brand came,
and shall not when she is gone. She raises the
bills, I know. I was surprised to find the wine
running short."

" You have no right to speak of those things
if you will not accept an equivalent. You
refuse to clear thirty — "

" Clear? No, dear Kitty, there's your mis-
take ! You are looking on it as clear profit,
whereas you will find her have her money for
her money's worth, every penny of it. A fire in
her bedroom, meat for breakfast^"

" Althea, how can you be so shabby ! — Good
night."

" Kitty !— dear Kitty ! "

Bever Hollow, 99

But Kitty was gone. It was the first time
she ha<^I left her sister at night without kissing
her ; and Mrs. Althea's pillow was steeped with
tears.

" Even George will be against me," thought
she, " for he was for a quid pro quo. And yet
I feel that I am right, and that it will be misery
if I yield. 0 Lord ! undertake for me ! "

And again these lines were brought to her —

Commit thou all thy ways ;

and the angel who brought them, watched by
her till she slept.

The first sight Mrs. Althea had of Mrs.
Brand's coimtenance the next morning showed
her that she must henceforth expect war to the
knife. Had she temporized and accepted the
pay, or been insincere and pretended that no
monetary obligations could exist between such
dear friends, an unsafe, uncertain peace would
have ensued ; but doing neither, 3Irs. Brand

1 00 T^he Ladies of

decided that slie was an avowed and powerful
enemy, and resolved on acting accordingly.

Therefore, directly after breakfast, there was
a yawn, followed by a long sigh. " Heigho !
I must lace on my storm-boots, Kitty, and go
lodging-hunting, though the weather is unpro-
pitious ; for I am too much for your sister, who
has done wisely in reminding me that I am but
a stranger and sojourner here."

" You can't go out I" cried Kitty. " It is
going to snow."

" I must be quick, then, dear, and start
before it begins. Don't expect me before you
•see me ; though that is a stupid expression, isn't
it, Kate ? Neither sense nor grammar. But you
overlook all my faults, dear ; and they are many."

" I don't think so," said Kitty.

" You dear kind Kate," cried Mrs. Brand,
going up to her and kissing her, " you really
are a friend, Kate ! a sterling friend !"

Bever Hollow. i o r

And with a look of defiance at Mrs. Althea
over Kitty's shoulder, which Kitty could not see,
Mrs. Brand, smiling, left the room ; equipped
herself, with great fragas, in ten minutes, and
out of the house in two minutes more. Kitty,
who had hurried after her, and talked to her
at first in a very raised voice and then in a very
low one, saw her ofi", and remained watching
her at the fi'ont door, in the cold wind, till
out of sight ; while Mrs. Althea, pierced by the
draught, shivered at the fireside and drew her
shawl round her. She saw no living face,
except Hannah's, till dinner-time.

Then Kitty came in, in perturbation. " It
has began to snow noiv, at any rate, and poor
Eliza has not returned ! If she does not brave
it, she may be kept out till dark. Dear me, if
she does not soon make her appearance I shall
soon be quite uneasy."

'• My dear Kitty, you and I used to think
nothing of a little snow like this."

102 The Ladies of

"Don't say such things, x\lthea ; I've no
patience ! . . . Oh, here she comes! "

And Mrs. Althea, for once, was glad of the
advent of Mrs. Brand.

Kitty gave her a most voluble welcome, and
huri'ied up with her to hear all there was to
hear, in Mrs. Brand's room. When she brought
her down to dinner, a traveller from the North
Pole could hardly have been treated with more
'prestige. Kitty, returning from the dining-
room, was bringing her sister half of a fine
apple, when, her foot catching in the carpet, she
tripped forward and would have fallen on her
face, had not Mrs. Althea, excited to sudden
exertion, risen hastily from her couch and
caught her in her arms ; kissing her before she
let her go.

Mrs. Brand, standing in the doorway, burst
into a laugh.

" A miracle, a mu-acle ! " cried she. " The
bedridden walk ! See, the beneficial effects of

Sever Hollow, 103

surprise ! Well, Althea, accept my sincere
congratulations for one; and try to keep it
up."

Both of the sisters, for the moment, looked
petiified.

" Althea cannot keep it up, unluckily," said
Mrs. Kitty, shaking up the cushions under her
panting sister. " I wish she could." And a
tear twinkled in her eyes as she bent down and
returned the kiss.

" God bless you, Kitty," murmured Mrs.
Althea.

Mrs. Brand saw she must, for the moment,
lower her tone.

" I am sure I wish she could, as much as
anybody," said she, in a softer key. " Do you
feel much shaken, dear Althea?"

" A httle," said Mrs. Althea.

" And you, Kate ; for it was you that got the
greatest shake, after all. My dear soul, you

104 ^^^ Ladies of

miglit have hurt yourself very seriously, with
your head against the fender."

*' Yes, if Althea had not saved me," said Mrs.
Kitty seriously.

*' And by the bye, Kate, where is the apple
that caused this mighty commotion? not the
apple of discord, but the apple of concord . . .
Ha ! here it is, rolled half under the table, and
covered with dust. This won't do for Althea
now ; stay, I '11 peel it afresh, and make a most
delicate little morsel of it. Why I cried out
* A miracle' just now, was because, by one of
those jumbles of dissimilar ideas one has some-
times, I could not help thinking of that arch-
bishop's niece, who threw down her crutches
before the ' holy coat' at Treves. Another
singular instance occurs to me. Do you re-
member Olivia Staines ? A lovely creature, you
know I Well, at the age of eighteen, her voice
went completely away : nothing could get her

Bever Hollow. 105

to speak out of a whisper ; ' she couldn't.' Well,
physicians were in vain: her family became
seriously uneasy ; every one was talking of poor
dear Olivia. Well, she came to stay with us ; for
my mother, who had a notion there was a little
temper in it, fancied she could cure it. She
went on two or three days. Still, nothing but
whispering. One day, we were talking of Harry
Brand. * A flame of yours, OKvia,' says mamma
slyly. ' Mine?' cries Olivia, quite aloud. ' A
miracle ! ' cries mamma, and bursts out laughing.
You never saw a creature so confused as Olivia.
After that, there could be no more whispering,
you know. She protested she was as much
surprised as any of us at her voice coming
back."

" An agreeable surprise ! " said Mrs. Kitty.

" But to what does this story apply?" said
Mrs. Althea. " What does it illustrate ? To
what does it refer ? "

" Illustrate ! Eefer ! " repeated Mrs. Brand,

io6 The Ladies of

looking rapidly from one sister to the other.
" Oh, it does not refer to anything ! You
know I'm the most inconsequent creature in the
world."

" Just move your chair the least bit, Eliza,"
said Mrs. Kitty, who was threading a large
needle with coarse packing-thread, " and I'll
cobble up that rent in the carpet till it can be
done better, so that at any rate it shall not trip
any one up."

Mrs. Brand did as she was requested ; and
Kitty, dropping on her knees, set vigorously to
work, and soon accomplished her task. Rising
up with her face much reddened, as soon as it
was finished, — " There, mistress," said she
cheerfully to Mrs. Althea, " that will prevent
me from cutting any more capers, I hope : and
you from flying to the rescue."

Mrs. Althea affectionately smiled ; and in-
wardly repeated her ejaculation —
' '' God bless you, Kitty ! "

Bever Hollow. 107

CHAPTER VII.

Mischief,

Faint friends fallen out most cruel foemen be.

Spenser.

" l\/r^^^^^^'" said Mr. Glyn— who used this
^^ address, half from affection, half from

affectation — '' do you know, I don't at all like

the Miss Hills."

" I never have liked them," said Mrs.

Glyn.

" Xo ; you took up a strong prejudice against

them from the first ; rather unreasonably, I

think. I resolved I would not be unreasonable,

io8 Tl he "Ladies of

but give them a fair trial : the result has not
been in their favour."

" Has anything particular resulted, pray ? "
" I rode over there this morning, to inquire
after Miss Rhoda ; and when I arrived, the
poor girl was getting a complete rating. I met
George Mildmay riding away from the house ;
he's a conceited young fellow, I incline to think.
He had probably been examining the burnt
hands, and perhaps may have expressed, as I
have done, his regret at the temporary injury to
their beauty — nothing more natural — though a
young surgeon had better not deal in such
speeches. Anyhow, I suppose he had given
umbrage to the two cousins ; for, as I went in,
rather closely on the servant's heels, I heard
Charlotte Hill say in the most galling tone,
' You think too much of his attentions ! ' And
when I went in, I found Ehoda positively in
tears ! "

Bever Hollow,

IC9

'' Humph ! "

" They all looked confused enough. Ehoda
as much as any. In fact, she blushed crimson ;
and when I asked her how she was, could
hardly answer me. She soon made an excuse
to leave the room : I should have opened the
door for her at any rate, hut, of course, with
her poor, wounded hands. Turning round, I
caught the sisters exchanging looks of irony.
My attentions, too, gave umbrage, it seemed !
And so they shall, if those two girls are going
to be jealous, and that young prig is going to
be officious."

" Take care, Charles, you don't bum your
own fingers."

" Trust me for that, ma'am."

" I think the best way would be for you to
go near them as little as possible. They are
no pleasure to us. Why not quietly drop
them ? "

VOL. II. I

no The Ladies of

" Drop poor little Rhoda ? I should be sorry
to do that. Besides, the old gentleman is a
worthy old gentleman, as times go. It is only
his daughters who are offensive ; and if I have,
as I rather think I have, the power of teaching
them a lesson, I will."

"Oh, well, you must do as you please."
And Mrs. Glyn composedly took up her knit-
ting ; caring very little, apparently, how much
Rhoda's peace of mind might be involved in
the course Mr. Glyn was about to pursue.

" Talk of a fellow, and he appears ! " said
Mr. Glyn. " Here's Mildmay riding up to the
house now." And he sauntered off to his warm
study and newspapers.

" May I have a word with you, Mr. Glyn?"
said George, looking very bright and fresh, as
they met in the hall.

" Oh, certainly," said Mr. Glyn ; " pray
step in here."

Bever Ho/Ioiv, 1 1 1

" The winter has set in with unusual seve-
rity," said George, *' and prices are rising, and
will rise still higher. Coals thiity-six shillings
a ton already. We are getting up a little sub-
scription to enable the very poor to have coals,
bread, and rice at a diminished rate, and I
thought you might like to put your name
down."

" Certainly," said Mr. Glyn. " It's a good
thing, I suppose ? I don't understand these
matters much: nor, perhaps (laughing), do
you."

" Well^ I hope I understand a little of them,"
said George. '• You see, our practice brings us
a good deal behind the scenes ; so that we
know pretty well who are desftrving and who
are not ; who need help, and what sort of help
they need."

" Precisely," said Mr. Glyn.

" Here's the paper," said George, '• drawn
i2

1 1 2 The Ladies of

up "by Mr. Bohun, who, again, is pretty well up
to these things. You '11 find nothing chimerical
or extravagant proposed. People put down
just what they will ; l)ut there are not many
names down yet, because I brought it to you
early, thinking you should be one of the
first."

" Precisely. * Mr. Hill, ten pounds.' That's
pretty fair, isn't it?"

" Oh, it's munificent; but we don't expect
many to give at that rate. He's a good-
natured man, you see, and I think Pm a bit
of a favourite of his."

" * Miss Hill, five pounds ; Miss Charlotte
Hill, five pounds.' . . . Dear me, this is very
handsome ! ' Miss Rhoda Hill, ten shil-
lings.' "

" Oh, you must not judge of her by that,"
cried George, eagerly. " There's as much dif-
ference between their five pounds and her ten

Bever Hollow, 1 1 3

shillings, as between the offerings of the Pha-
risees and the widovv^ that had but a mite/'

" Ah ! That's putting it rather strong, Mr.
Mildmay."

" Too strongly, I admit," said (reorge, rather
ashamed. " However, it's not only what we
give, but what we deny ourselves, that con-
stitutes charity. Now, I happen to know that
Miss Khoda Hill has given up eating potatoes,
that the poor may have more."

Mr. Glyn burst into a laugh. George looked
annoyed. Mr. Glyn, who observed him closely^
saw that he did so.

'' What good on earth can she hope to do by
it?" said he. "The poor gii'l probably eats
but one potato a day ; an Irishman eats
half a gallon. What a chimera! How
absurd ! "

" The principle is not absurd," said George.
'' The consumption of one person set against

114 ^^^ Ladies of

that of another. And we know that if eveiy
one relieved one, all would be relieved."

" Just so. Oh, the principle, as you say,
is charming — charming ! She 's a charming
girl, Mr. Mildmay. It was only the diminutive
scale on which she could put her principle into
practice, that tickled my fancy."

"If we do all we can^ no more can be
expected of us," said George. " Example is
something; and I do not think the two elder
Miss Hills can daily help themselves to potatoes
while their cousin refrains, without feeling their
consciences pricked."

" I doubt very much their consciences being
so tender," said Mr. Glyn. " I hope Miss
Rhoda does not give up her potato for the
sake of pricking them."

*' Certainly not," said George. " I under-
stand she expressed very simply her conviction
that if all or many of the upper classes, who

Bever Hollow, 115

have such variety in their diet, were to give up
the use of this one root, which the poor cannot
to their satisfaction exchange for any other,
there would be enough, at a moderate price,
for those who make them their chief food."

" Very fair."

" And, to evidence that she did not preach
what she would not practise, she gave up her
one potato."

" I wonder if the cook dresses one less daily,
Mr. Mildmay. Ha! ha!"

" Miss Rhoda Hill has no control over that
She has made one convert, however, — her
uncle.^^

"Ha!"

" I think she will very likely make another
of Mrs. Althea."

" And another of yourself?"

" That^s my affair," said George, smiling.
" However, not to be closer about my own

1 1 6 The Ladtes of

concerns than other people's, I '11 confess that
she has. So, you see, this good little creature
has actually saved, or will save, four persons'
consumption."

" She is a good little creature," said Mr.
Glyn, with some feeling. ''If we all did as
much in proportion, a good deal would be
done."

" A good deal," said George.
" Well, I shall put down my name for ten
pounds. I don't see why. I should give less
than Mr. Hill : and here's my money. Now,
I'll step up stairs with you to my mother, and
tell her about it, and I dare say she will give
something too."

In Mrs. Glyn's room they found Pamela and
the children ; so George, being able to see all
his patients at once, was obliged, with chagrin,
to abandon the hope of a tete-a-tete that time.
However, Mrs. Glyn gave him ten pounds for

Bever Hollow. 1 1 7

the charitable fund, so he went away with his
pockets full of money as well as a heart full
of love.

" 0 Christmas! Christmas!" inwardly eja-
culated he, " never did schoolboy more im-
patiently desire thee ! However, thy advent is
not far off."

Here he came in sight of Mrs. Brand, who
was walking at the rate of a penny-postman.
Had a lane or by-road presented itself, he
would not have minded making a circuit to
avoid so obnoxious a person ; but he scorned to
turn about and fly; while to dash forward
without recognition would hardly consist with
the manners of a gentleman. He just touched
his horse with the spur, therefore, and was pre-
paring to pass her with an amiable bow, when
she made him a sign to stop, which he instantly
obeyed, fearing it might have something to do
with Mrs. Althea.

1 1 8 T^he Ladies of

'' My dear Mr. Mildmay," began she, in a
bland voice, " this opportunity is most fortunate,
for I have long been desirous of a short private
conference."

" I am always at the service of the ladies,
ma'am," said George ; *' but might not a better
time and place be found ? This wind cuts like
a knife, and you are standing in a puddle."

" I am in goloshes," said Mrs. Brand ; " but
pray walk your horse gently, and we shall have
the wind behind us. Oh, Mr. Mildmay, I'm
very anxious about my dear friend ! . . ."

" About Mrs. Althea?" said George, hastily.

" About Kate," said Mrs. Brand. " Of course,
we are all anxious about Althea, but she has
now been going on so long, that our sympa-
thies, you know, are getting a little worn out.
Whereas, dear, cheerful Kate has such courage
and sprightliness that nobody suspects anything
is the matter with lievT

Bever Hollow, 1 19

"What is the matter with her, ma'am?"
said George. " The last time I called at the
Hill Honse, I heard her whistling in the
pantry."

" Ah, that was her way of keeping up
Althea's spirits," said Mrs. Brand ; " she
carries it off so well.''

'• Carries off what, ma'am? " said George.

" This crick," said Mrs. Brand.

" This what? " cried George, reining up his
horse suddenly, that he might hear what she
said.

" My dear Mr. Mildmay," said ^Irs. Brand,
laying her hand on his bridle, and lowering
her voice, though not a creature was in sight,
" did you ever hear of Kate carrying Althea
from one end of the room to the other, to look
at the stars?"

'• ^ever! " cried George. " Did she though? "

" She did. I promise you."

I20 The Ladies of

" Hurra ! Mrs. Kitty, I honour you for it ! "
cried he, with one of his boyish bursts of
enthusiasm. " It was famously done of you ! "

''Not very famous of Althea to let her do
it, though ! " said Mrs. Brand with asperity ;
" I've really no patience with her ! "

" Well, it does not look like Mrs. Althea's
usual prudence and thoughtfulness for others, I
must confess," said George, gravely.

" My dear Mr. Mildmay, you little know a
good many things that pass in that house.
Why now, what can be more essential to
health than a well- ventilated bedroom? And
yet Kate, to be within reach of Althea, sleeps
in a little closet that has no chimney in it."

" Nay, Mrs. Brand, I know that little room
perfectly well, having attended Mrs. Kitty in it
more than once ; and though, as you say, there
is no chimney, there is a ventilator, and the
room has always appeared to me perfectly airy — "

Bever Hollow. J2i

" Draughtyj if you will, not airy."

" The best proof, ma'am, of it's not being an
unwholesome apartment is, that Mrs. Kitty has
slept in it these five years and enjoyed robust
health. But, about this crick — I want to
know — "

" Ah, Mr. Mildmay, / want to know, too.
But she won't hear of examination or inquiry.
She'd kill me, I think, if I hinted it to Althea.
My fear is for the spine — "

" Bless me ! I must talk a little to my friend
Kitty ! "

" She won't hear you, I know she won't ! "

*' But, ma'am, if she won^t hear you nor me,
what's to be done ? "

" Nothing can be done, Mr. Mildmay. With
that firm mind, it's my opinion nothing can be
done. It's deplorable, but cannot be helped. Say
nothing, therefore, unless some very favour-
able opportunity should occur — say nothing

122 The Ladies of

at present. Above all, say nothing to
Althea!"

" Trust me, ma'am. And now I fear I must
wish you good morning. Pray, whither may
you be bound? "

'' Ah," said she, with a shrug and a smile,
" I'm lodging-hunting. I'm one too many
where I am — so Althea thinks — and you know
what Dante says about the bitterness of another
man's bread and the steepness of another man's
stairs, when he does not make you welcome to
them. So, though I would gladly occupy the
little closet without a chimney to be with my
dear friends — (and very dear they are to me,
Mr. Mildmay !) yet, as the feeling is not reci-
procated in one quarter, I'm lodging-hunting! "

" But, — in this direction ? — What lodgings
can you hope to find? "

" Well, I understand Mr. Knight is thinking
of movino:."

Bever Hollow, 123

"Indeed"? that's news to me," said George,
slightly raising his eyebrows. " I thought he
must be starving on his practice."

" Don't say I told you — don't spread the
report," cried ^Irs. Brand.

" Not I, ma'am ; youve told the person most
interested in knowing it ! "

" Why, of course, there must be a very poor
picking for a medical man in such a small place
as Collington," said Mrs. Brand.

" 'Tis not the want of population so much as
his own want of — well, I'll say no more," cried
George. " Good morning."

" Good morning ! "

And they parted, outwardly, on the most
amicable terms.

" I shall go and see about this crick,"
thought George. "No time like the present. —
So Knight is going to vacate the field ! —
thought he would! An ill-conditioned fellow

1 24 The Ladies of

as ever breathed; didn't deserve to succeed.
However, that's between me and myself. What
crumbs the bear leaves, the hen may pick up,
saith the author of Waverley. I should like
amazingly to settle down with Pamela in Col-
lington. We'd soon get roses to trail all over
the cottage. Ah, but Mrs. Brand wants it.
And, after all, this may be a false report of
hers — Knight may not go."

A brisk trot soon brought him to the side
approach of the Hill House. Here, looking out
of a very small casement, not higher above his
head than half the length of his arm, was to be
seen Mrs. Kitty, equipped in a dark blue cloth
pelisse that had been her mother's, and a round
beaver hat. George, after gallantly kissing the
tips of his gloves to her, which she returned by
smiles and nods, rode over the wet spongy
turf, close under her window, and looked up at
her just in the attitude of Stothard's Don

Bever Hollow, 125

Quixote talking to the innkeeper's daughter and
Maritomes.

"How are you, Mrs. Kitty?" began he
kindly.

''Purely," said Mrs. Kitty; "but Althea
has had a bad night, poor love, and is now
asleep."

" Then I'll not disturb her," said George.
" I shall be this way again in a day or two.
Can a fellow say a few words to you without
being overheard ? "

" Not a creature within earshot," said Mrs.
Kitty — " but stay, I'll go to Eliza^s window,
which is on a lower level than this, for I know
she's not within ; and there we can talk without
raising our voices."

George rode under Mrs. Brand's window,
where Mrs. Kitty soon reappeared.

" You are not afraid of the air, in your hat
and pelisse, I suppose? " said he.

YOL. II. K

126 'The Ladies of

" Not a bit," said Mrs. Kitty. " Never you
fear for me — Pm not going to be upon your
books just now, I can tell you."

" Well, I^m not quite so sure about that," said
George seriously. " What of this sprain?"

" Then Eliza^s been talking to you!" cried
Kitty quickly. " She shall catch it !—"

" Sprains are not catching, my dear friend ;
and seriously, I am anxious about you, and
want to know what is the matter."

" Nothing at all is the matter. Eliza took
alarm without the least need for it. Pm sure
it was very kind of her, but I wish to goodness
I had never named the word crick, especially as
she came out with it before Althea. It was a
little touch of rheumatism, I believe, owing to
standing in a draught while talking to John
Twiddy; and it has gone quite away — quite
away."

" When did you feel it first ? "

Bever Ho/low. 127

'' About ten days ago. And I did not feel it
at all, more than six or seven times. It was
just touch and go. There was nothing in it."

" And did you carry Mrs, Althea across the
room?"

" Oh my goodness, yes. Where did you get
hold of that ? Althea told you, I suppose. It
did me no harm. She's as light as a feather,
and I'm as strong as a horse."

" Still it did not show your sister's usual
thoughtfulness to ask you — "

" She ask me? Surely you know her too
well to suspect her of that ! No, no ; there was
no asking in the case. I caught her up, betore
she could say Jack Kobinson. It was only a
bit of fun. You know I'm rather frisky some-
times ; and I was so just then."

" Ha !— She didn't ask you ? "

" No."

" And you feel quite well ? "
k2

128 T^he Ladies of

" Quite."

" Well, I hope you are speaking sincerely ;
for you well know, my dear Mrs. Kitty, that
your life and health are highly valuable to us
all, not only on Mrs. Althea's account, but your
own."

"George! you're very kind!" And Mrs.
Kitty blew her nose very loudly, to disperse
some tears that suddenly sprang into her eyes.

" Not at all," said George warmly. " Come,
don't get out of sight, I shall think you are
using some of Mrs. Brand's rouge-pots."

"Fie, George! that line colour is all her
own."

" Fine colour ? High colour, if you will.
A very heated complexion. You are ten times
better looking than she is, Mrs. Kitty, to my
mind."

" George, no soft nonsense."

" You look just like the damsel in Pinelli's

Bever Hollow, 129

' Serenata,' looking out of tliat little casement.
However, I must not plaj the cavalier any
longer, mj dear 3Irs. Kitty ; so adieu ! "

lyirs. Althea was wakened from her nap by
the abrupt entrance of Mrs. Brand.

" Well," cried she with a malicious air of
triumph, " IVe found lodgings at last, — no,
a cottage ! I may be obliged to let part of it
myself, if I find it puzzling to make both ends
meet. Rhododendron Cottage ! "

" Where on earth is that?" said Mrs. Althea,
rubbing her eyes.

" On CoUington common. Such a lovely
view ! Always something to see. On the
direct road from one market-town to another.
Excellent water, fine air, nice garden, two
sitting-rooms, four bedrooms, and offices ! "

'' It must be a new erection," cried Kitty,
who had just entered. ♦»

" Ah, I thought I should puzzle you,"

130 T^he Ladies of

said Mrs. Brand, laughing. •' It 's Mr.
Knight's."

" Mr. Knight's ! But, is he going to leave?"

" I never heard his house called Rhododen-
dron Cottage," said Mrs. Althea,

" That's my idea," said Mrs. Brand. " There
is a fine rhododendron in the front garden;
and one must have an address to give one's
friends at a distance. * Mrs. Brand, Collington,'
would not be enough of a direction at first,
though it sounds pretty enough. * Mrs. Brand,
Mr. Knight's Cottage,' would be horrid ; and
quite inaccurate when Mr. Knight no longer
rented it."

" True ; John Briggs's cottage would be the
truer denomination," said Mrs. Althea, " for he
built it and owns it."

" Well, whoever built it and owns it," said
Mrs. Brand, 'Mt is going to be * Rhododendron
Cottage,' henceforth. I think it sounds well

Sever Hollow. 1 3 1

enough, hey, Kate ? Better, and less hackneyed
than • Eose Cottage,' or ' [Myrtle Cottage ?"

'• Much," said Kitty. •' I don't remember to
have ever heard of a Rhododendron Cottage
before.''

" But how came you to hear of ^Ir. Knight's
going away?"' said Mrs. Althea. with a great
increase of cordiality in her tone. '' Surely,
you did not know it when you went out
this morning ? ''

" I did not; but I called at the baker's on
pretence of eating a bun. and he told me there
was a report that ^Ir. Knight was going or
likely to go. So, on that, I stepped out. And
it is a good step. Mr. Knight happened to be
at home, so I was able to get at the truth
at once. He is going : he does not find the
Collington practice equal his expectations. Mr.
Mildmay undermines him everywhere."

•* Undermines ! "

132 The Ladies of

" So he says. It is his word, not mine. He
means to try for better luck elsewhere. He
showed me over the cottage. It is small, of
course; and the furniture, which is his own,
is poor, and somewhat scanty. Altogether, it
wants a lady's eye. But, when my furniture,
which is really handsome, is put into it, and
a few cheap alterations made, which can be
better done when I am in the house than out
of it, it will look quite a different place."

" Undoubtedly it will," said Mrs. Althea,
'* and the improvements will be a nice amuse-
ment for you."

" By the bye, dear Althea, how are you?
You were complaining, when I went out."

" Much better, thank you."

" Much better for my having found lodgings,
hey?" said Mrs. Brand mischievously. " ' Wel-
come the coming, sj^eed the ^parting guest.' Old
proverbs are very rude sometimes."

Bever Hollow, 133

*' I have had a nice nap while jou were out,"
said Mrs. Althea. " It made amends for my
bad night. And when is Mr. Knight thinking
of leaving? At Christmas, I suppose."

" Well, I am not quite so sure about that,"
said Mrs. Brand. " We shall see. I must run
off now, and change my dress for dinner."

And she left poor Mrs. Althea with a length-
ened face, and an inward ejaculation, as she
uneasily turned on her sofa. " Ah, she won't go
now, it's my opinion. We shall see. Many a
slip 'tween cup and lip. Too good news to be
true!"

1 34 The Ladies of

CHAPTER VIII.

The same continued.

Not stayed state, but feeble stay,
Not costly robes, but poor array.
Not passed wealth, but present want.
Not heaped store, but slender scant.
Not wish at will, but weary woe.
Doth truly try the friend from foe.

Paradise of Dainty Devices.

"11 /l"RS. Brand, returning from her toilette,
-*-'-*- found Mrs. Althea alone; and sitting
down beside her, began with —

" That dear good Kate has been thoughtful
for me in my absence. She has nailed a list all
round my window to keep out the draught. I
cannot but love her for her kindness ; though,
between ourselves, do you know I think an airy
bedroom essential to health."

Bever Hollow. 135

" Airy, not draughty," said Mrs. Althea.

" Exactly what Mr. Mildmay said — ^by the
bye, I forgot to mention, that I met him on the
Collington road. I was talking to him about lodg-
ings. No, that wasn't quite it neither. I forget
exactly how it was. But I remember we were
talking about the distinction between draughty
and airy; and agreeing that an airy bedroom
was essential to health. Mr. Knight's bed-
rooms are very airy. But as I was walking
along, it occurred to me to wonder how Kate
could keep her health, sleeping as she does
in that small closet without a chimney ; for you
know, Althea, a Canary bird, hung within the
curtains of a bed, will die before morning ; and
it seems to me to account for her having grown
pale."

"Pale!" ejaculated Mrs. Althea, " I think
Kitty remarkably fresh-looking.-'^

" Oh, my dear Althea ! Was fresh-looking, I

136 The Ladies of

grant you! But you, who see her so con-
stantly, don't note those changes which strike a
stranger."

" You think her pale?" said Mrs. Althea.

" Paler, I don't say pale. Look at her beside
me, the next time she comes in."

Mrs. Althea, who knew that Mrs. Kitty's
florid face would be pale beside Mrs. Brand's
rubicund countenance, said nothing, but yet
was disquieted.

" Kate," resumed Mrs. Brand, " has not, I
imderstand, always slept in that room?"

" She slept there some time before my ill-
ness," said Mrs. Althea, " thinking it more
companionable for us to be together, after a
fright we had of thieves one night ; the stairs
had tried me, and prevented my sleeping up-
stairs, long before I was regularly invalided."

" That was a pity," said Mrs. Brand, " be-
cause I consider the room I occupy the best

Bever Hollow, 1 37

in tlie house; and it would have suited you,
who like — who ought to have the best of every-
thing. And adjoining it is a nice airy room
that would have suited Kate very well."

" That room, however, is exactly the size of
the one you term a closet," said Mrs. Althea.

" My dear soul, it has a chimney. And so
great is my interest in dear Kate, that, if she
would consent to change rooms with me, which
I am sure she would not, I would gladly, for her
sake, sleep in the closet."

" You might both sleep up-stairs without any
change on your part being needed," said ^Irs.
Althea.

" What, and leave you down-stairs all by
yourself?" cried Mrs. Brand. " My dear crea-
ture. But here she comes! Mum !"

And with one of her mysteriously intelligent
looks to Mrs. Althea, she changed the subject
immediately on Mrs. Kitty's entrance. Mrs.

138 The Ladies of

Altliea, however, was not to be made a party
against her own sister. She had always been
accustomed to speak to Kitty with the utmost
frankness ; and fancying on her entrance, that
she really looked paler than usual, she brooded
on the subject till a pause in the flow of
Mrs. Brand's chat gave her an opportunity of in-
troducing it, and then quietly though anxiously
spoke of it to her sister.

Kitty was quite taken by surprise, and dis-
posed to laugh at the idea of the room being
close; then provoked at the suggestion, and
ready to cry at its being seriously pui'sued.
But Mrs. Brand, though not the ostensible
leader, followed it up so warmly and pertina-
ciously, and Mrs. Althea's nerves were now so
tremulous at the idea that Kitty should suffer
any injury through her, that it ended in Mrs.
Kitty's consenting, with tears in her eyes, to
sleep away from Mrs. Althea for a few nights,

Bever Hollow. 139

by way of experiment ; on condition that Han-
nah, for whose health Mrs. Brand seemed to
entertain no fears, should occupy the closet.

" What whims! and what changes!" mut-
tered old Hannah to herself, as she tumbled her
feather-bed down-stairs. " It's all that Mrs.
Brand's doings, / knows — Mrs. Firebrand
I thinks she ought to be called. And if Mrs.
Althea is took ill in the night, I knows whose
doing it'll have been, that I does ! "

Oh, what a sleepless night it was, to both the
sisters ! For Mrs. Kitty, in spite of its being
her dear Eliza's doing, felt some uneasiness in
forsaking Mrs. Althea. Besides, she really was
not half so comfortable as in the room to which
she had been accustomed; it felt damp, and
there was a tremendous draught down the
chimney, which kept her feet cold all night.

" I'll have a chimney-board put up to-
morrow," thought she. " That's flat ! "

140 T^he Ladies of

In the morning, Mrs. Brand kept up such an
unceasing flow of small-talk about her lodgings,
her furniture, and her own affairs in general,
that she gave the sisters no opportunity of com-
paring notes on their respective discomforts ;
and as no considerable harm seemed to have
ensued, the sisters magnanimously resolved to
be silent martyrs. It cheered Mrs. Althea won-
derfully to repeat to herself, " It will not be
for long."

" Pray," cried Mrs. Brand, pausing suddenly
in the act of helping herself to a second tg'^^
*' did it ever occur to you, Althea, to consult
Mr. Knight?"

*' Dear me, no," said Mrs. Althea.

" Forest and Mildmay have the best practice,
all the country round," cried Mrs. Kitty.

" Ah well ! how they got it is best known to
themselves," said Mrs. Brand, carelessly. " For
my own part, if anything were the matter

Bever Hollow. 141

with me, I've a notion I should try Mr.
Knight."

" He may be clever, but his looks are cer-
tainly against him," said Mrs. Kitty.

" I have never seen him, and never wish to
see him," said Mrs. Althea; '' but I understand
he's not liked."

" I think people are too fastidious," said Mrs.
Brand. " To me, his manner was particularly
pleasant."

" I am quite content with my present ad-
visers," said Mrs. Althea, with a decision that
set the matter at rest.

Immediately after breakfast, Mrs. Brand
started off to pay a second visit to Khododen-
dron Cottage, after vainly endeavouring to per-
suade Mrs. Kitty to go with her. But Mrs.
Kitty had her farming concerns to attend to,
and said she must postpone the pleasure. Mrs.
Althea was presently left to her own devices ;

VOL. II. L

142 T^he Ladies of

and commenced with a great fit of yawning,
partly from weakness, and partly from want of
sleep. Then she read the Psalms and Lessons
for the day, and Jay's Morning Portion, and
tried to meditate upon them, but found she
could not. She was continually recurring to
the words, " I wonder if she will go ! "

At length she took up her knitting ; and be-
fore she had knitted many rows, George Mild-
may came in. After professional inquiries,
" Well,^' said he, ''I was at Bever Hollow
yesterday, but to no good. Stay, it was to
some good, too; they behaved very hand-
somely."

And out came his list, with several recent
additions to it, which afforded a subject of in-
terest to Mrs. Althea for some time. At length
she said, " So you had a little chat with Mrs.
Brand yesterday?"

" Yes ! what, the woman could not help blab-

Bever Hollow. 143

"blng, then, thougli she bound me to secrecy !
What did she say?"

'' Nothing particular, except that she had
found that Mr. Knight was likely to go away,
and had thereupon applied for his cottage, and
that you had warned her against unventilated
bedrooms, and made a distinction between airy
rooms and draughty ones."

" That woman ! Did she say / said that ?
'Twas she herself! and with reference to Mrs.
Kitty's room."

^'Aye?"

" Fact, ma'am. What a twister and per-
verter of the truth in little things she is ! She's
dangerous ! Every one is, that deviates in
small things from the truth ; for * he that de-
spiseth small things shall fall by little and
little.' Unfortunately, they make their neigh-
bours fall too. Well, did she get the cottage ?
She had not seen it when we met."
l2

144 '^^^^ Ladies of

" I am afraid of being too secure. At first it
seemed as though she had taken it; but Mr.
Knight is disinclined to give it up at Christmas,
and — we don't want her here. But, George,
you were afraid she had let out some secret.
Come, what was it? "

" The secret was of her own making, though
I willingly consented to keep it, because there
was no good in worrying you about no-
thing. She fancied Mrs. Kitty was not quite
well—"

" Is she quite well, George? Don't deceive
me, I entreat you ! "

" Right as possible, ma'am. Here she is to
speak for herself. Hallo, Mrs. Kitty, your eyes
are inflamed. You have caught cold, chatting
to young fellows out of open windows."

" Oh no, 'twasn't that," said Mrs. Kitty,
" last night was so very cold."

" And she changed her bedroom," said Mrs.

Bever Hollow, 145

Althea anxiously, '' without having a fire lighted
in it first."

" That's !Mrs. Brand's doing, I know ; you
need not tell me," said George, looking fall at
Mrs. Kitty, who felt a little embarrassed.

" Well, she meant it all for the best," said
Mrs. Kitty, " and the worst is over now. I've
put up a chimney-board."

" Much good the chimney will do you, then,"
said he, smiling.

Mrs. Kitty, having only come in for the keys,
speedily returned to her own affairs.

Almost immediately afterwards Rhoda came
in, much to the pleasure of ^Irs. Althea, who
had not seen her for some time. The cold air
had given her a bright colour, but it was con-
siderably heightened on her seeing George
Mildmay; and she seemed so embarrassed by
his presence, that he saw it, and, smiling, soon
took his leave.

146 Tihe Ladies of

" A long time has passed since I saw you
last," said Mrs. Althea.

" Oil, too long, a great deal," said Rhoda,
eagerly ; " and I have so much to say, I hardly
know where to begin."

*' In the first place," said Mrs. Althea, wil-
ling to give her time to compose herself, " I
have to thank you for procuring me the loan of
Paul Sandby's etchings."

" Oh, did you like them ? I felt sure you
would. It was Mr. Glyn you should thank,
not me. He is so very kind — "

" Is he ? I have seen so little of him, that
I am glad to hear it from one who knows him
better than I do." Ehoda's cheeks again
burned. " How sorry I was," pursued Mrs.
Althea, " to hear of your sad accident. Do
tell me all about it ; I have only had George
Mildmay's account."

" Oh, my hands are quite well now. See,

Bever Hollow, 147

they are very little scarred. Mr. Glyn has
made more of it than there was any occasion
for, and called every day almost, every day but
two, to inquire about them ; and, you see, dear
Mrs. Althea, that, not knowing the ways of the
house, he could not guess that this would be ill
taken, and in fact, quite mistaken, quite a
wrong construction put upon it ; and that what
he meant for kindness and politeness, and all
that, and intended should give me pleasure,
only gave me pain ; or, at any rate, got me into
so much trouble, as very much to damp the
pleasure."

" How was that ? "

" I hardly know how to tell you, and yet 1
came here this morning for nothing else. I
thought you would tell me what to do. Every-
body seems to apply to you in their difficulties,
and I am placed in such a very trying position.

148 The Ladies of

that I thought I would apply to you in mine.
I had a sleepless, uncomfortable night ; " and
her eyes filled with tears.

" I think I can save you the telling of part
of your story," said Mrs. Althea, gently;
" your cousins would sooner have had Mr.
Glyn's visits paid to them than to you."

" Just so, dear Mrs. Althea. And they need
not have taken it up in that way, because his
visits were in fact to my uncle. He came over
to play chess with Mm / and then, just because
he had happened to be by when the accident
occurred, the sight of me put it into his head
to ask me how I was, and to say kind and
flattering things that the occasion really did
not call for; and my cousins thought them
quite out of place, and thought me out of place
too, and said I put myself too forward, and
other unpleasant things of the kind. So that.

Bever Hollow, 149

at last, I almost came to the resolution of keep-
ing my room all the mornings ; but then, again,
I thought, why should I ? "

"Why should you, indeed?" said Mrs.
Althea.

" Because it would have been very dull, you
know, for a constancy; and besides, why should
I, because I was unjustly suspected, deprive
myself voluntarily of the pleasantest society
that came to the house ? I felt Mr. Glyn did
not like me better than any one else ; and,
if he did, could I help it?" cried Rhoda, with
eyes flashing with such injured innocence, that
Mrs. Althea could not help laughing.

" Go on, my dear," said she, sympathizing,
" you could not."

" So I continued to go on as usual," pur-
sued Rhoda, stoutly, "neither putting myself
forward, nor absenting myself from the morning
room. I was pretty much sent to Coventry ;

1 50 The Ladies of

but when Mr. Glyn came, he talked nicely to
us all, especially to my uncle and me, quite
superior conversation, Mrs. Althea, to what I
have been accustomed to hear, and when he
was gone, I had something to think over that
made the time pass pleasantly. However, I
could not escape giving offence, do what I
would; and, one unlucky day, I was being
very severely reprimanded, so that I could not
help crying, when Mr. Glyn suddenly came in,
and heard and saw something of what was
going on, before we were well aware of his
presence. From that moment, I think, he
adopted a new line of conduct ; he paid me
attentions that none could overlook ; and though
I really believe he began to do so for the sake
of punishing Anna and Charlotte, which was
not a very good motive, you know, still, I could
not be quite sure that was all. He seemed to
become more earnest, more real ; and, as it was

Bever Hollow. 151

impossible not to like him very much, it
became a question of anxious interest to
me, whether he were trifling with me or
not-^'

Her voice faltered, and she stopped.

" Well might it become so/' said Mrs. Althea
feelingly. " I should think him a man of too
much honour to caiTy it so far, if he meant
nothing serious."

"Well, it seemed so to me," resumed Ehoda.
'' I am siu-e 1 lay awake many a nighty think-
ing it over. And then, another thing hampered
me. If he were serious, how was I to act?
If I really felt that he could make me very
happy, and he felt that I could make him so,
was I to repel him simply because my cousins
envied me his preference ? "

"Certainly not," said Mrs. Althea, with
decision. " Even had their feelings been more
amiable, there was no call on you for this

1 5 2 The Ladies of

sacrifice. Your repelling him would not make
him like either of them."

"So I thought," said E,hoda; "and I am
very glad to have you confirm me in it. But
still it depended on an if. If he were not
serious, I might be doing myself a great injury
and making myself very ridiculous by thinking
him so. But others thought so too ; and yester-
day evening my uncle, who, good, simple-
hearted man, might live in a house full of
engaged people without ever finding it out,
noticed something that was said to me, and
taking it much more in jest than was meant,
rallied me on my * conquest,' and ' only wished
it might be one ; ' which made matters so much
worse, that I had a hearty cry about it in my
own room, and thought I could not bear it any
longer. I wished mamma were alive, and felt
what it was to be an orphan ; and then I
remembered you, dear Mrs. Althea, and thought

Bever Hollow. 153

I would come and tell you my griefs like
Pamela Bohun, if you would let me."

There was something so confiding and artless
in the young girl's manner, that Mrs. Althea
was quite touched by it.

" My dear," began she, taking Rhoda's hand,
" I know so little of Mr. Glyn— "

" Stay a moment, you have not heard all by
any means," said Rhoda, blushing. " This
morning, my uncle and cousins were going to
ride to Maylands ; and Charlotte said some-
thing tart about my having the opportunity of
a fine tete-a-tete. I told her I meant to spend
the morning with you, which seemed to please
her, and she expressed her approval. I started
before they did, that they might see me actually
ofi'. I had just reached the bleacher's field,
when Mr. Glyn came up with me, walking.
You know it was not the road from his house
to ours, so that I could not have expected him,

154 ^^^ Ladies of

nor be accused of waylaying him. He asked
me whether I were coming to see you ; I said
yes ; and having said that, you know I could
not turn back, nor hinder him from going the
same way."

" Why should you ? " said Mrs. Althea.

"I don't know," said Rhoda, looking dis-
tressed, and faltering ; " but he never let the
conversation drop for a moment, and at last
supported it all himself, for I could not get out
a word ; and at length he said — oh ! I cannot
tell you what he said ; " and she hid her burn-
ing face in her hands.

" There's no need," said Mrs. Althea.

" Just then," said Rhoda, " who should ride
past us but Mr. Mildmay ! He must have seen
us before him ever so long, but I was so
pre-occupied, so agitated, I never heard him
coming. My face was burning, just as it is
now ; and looking up, rather startled, to see

Bever Hollow. 155

who was passing us, I met Ms eye ; oh, such a
mischievous look ! he bowed, and rode on.
After that, I could not — "

At this moment, in sailed Mrs. Brand, freshly
dressed for dinner, in new ribbons and mitts,
not a pin out of place, and with a little bit of
fancy-work in her hand. vShe bowed with great
ceremony to Rhoda, looked at her acutely, and
seated herself with the air of " Here I shall
plant myself."

Rhoda gave Mrs. Althea an expressive glance,
rose up and kissed her. " I have been paying
an unconscionable visit," said she; "good bye."
And Mrs. Althea made no effort to detain her.

^Irs. Brand, with officious civility, insisted on
seeing her to the door and opening it for her.
Having closed it, she returned to her post,
and with a meaning, half contemptuous smile,
observed,

" That young lady^s secret is easily found out."

156 The Ladies of

" I never try to find out secrets," said Mrs;
Althea (who, just then, certainly forgot Pamela) ;
" It does not seem to me very honourable."

"Ah, few people are as good as you," said
Mrs. Brand ; " Most of us love to hear a secret,
and to tell it too. Mr. Mildmay, for example.
I found Mr. Knight quite in a rage about it."

" About what ? "

*' About the report of his intention to leave
CoUington having spread. He said he had
never breathed a syllable of it but to me ; I, you
know, had only mentioned it to you and to
Mr. Mildmay, whom I concluded, from his pro-
fessional habits, it might be safely entrusted to.
Instead of which, Mr. Knight going his rounds
this morning, finds every one speaking to him
about it ; and, on coming home, ever so many
tradesmen's bills sent in before Christmas, just
as if he were going to run away. The conse-
quence is, he is, naturally, very much offended,

Bever Hollow. I57

and says lie must, for his credit's sake, stf.y
over quarter-day, if it be only till the next half-
quarter : which inconveniences me, of course,
so that I, too, owe Mr. Mildmay a grudge."

*' Oh, you must stay here till the half-
quarter," said Kitty, who had entered in the
midst of the story.

" Eely on it, George Mildmay has spread no
reports," said Mrs. Althea. " Why, you your-
self heard it from the baker, who, of course,
may have told others."

Mrs. Brand, for once, had nothing to reply.

Mrs. Kitty took up a newspaper. " Dear me,
there's going to be a grand cattle-show in Lon-
don," said she. " How I should like to see it ! '^

" Why should not you run up to town,
then *? " cried Mrs. Brand. " The change would
do you good ; and I could take care of Althea."

Mrs. Althea's heart stopped beating ; and
then went on with ji thump.

YOL. II. M

158 T^he Ladies of

" That would be a pretty business," said
Mrs. Kitty; "No, thank you, not I." Mrs.
Althea's heart beat more quietly.

" Dear me," resumed Kitty, in a wondering
sort of voice, " what a time it is since I was in
London, to be sure! years and years! Gigot
sleeves were worn then."

" What frights they were ! " said Mrs. Brand.
" I always regret having been painted in them.
By the bye, it is stupid to have one's own pic-
ture. I think I shall give it to you, Kate, for
I am sure no one will value it more."

" Oh, thank you ! " cried Mrs. Kitty. But
where shall I hang it ? " looking round.

" There's no room there, Kitty," said Mrs.
Althea, following her sister's eye.

" It is just the size of that," said Mrs. Brand,
pointing to a three-quarter portrait immediately
facing Mrs. Althea.

" Oh, I can't take down my father's picture,

Bever Hollow, 1 59

even for yours, Eliza," said Mrs. Kitty. " I will
hang it over my bedroom mantel-piece, and
then I shall see it continually."

*' That wall is damp, and will continue so, as
you don't have a fire," said Mrs. Brand: "I
observed, to-day, that the paper is peeling ofi".
No; without vanity, I think I may say my
picture is too good for an attic, and it will save
me a chimney-glass ; so I will keep it till you
have a more respectable place for it. People
will only take it for my younger sister."

" I rather believe," she resumed presently,
" I shall be obliged to run home before 1 close
with Mr, Knight, to see about various little
matters. Will you go with me, Kate ? "

• ** How can I ? " said Mrs. Kitty. " Just con-
sider!"

" Well, I thought Althea might be willing
to part with you for a few days, as she is pretty
easy now," said Mrs. Brand. " I'm sorry you
M 2

1 60 The Ladies of

decline. It would have given you a little
change."

Taking Kitty's hand, the next time they
were left together, Mrs. Althea wistftilly
said —

" Dear Kitty, Christmas is near ; and all who
can, should have a happy Christmas. Why
should not you, as Mrs. Brand proposes, run up
to town for a few days ? Pamela Bohun will
soon be home, and would, I am sure, gladly
come and take care of me. You could not
leave me under better auspices."

" You must be mad, Althea ! " cried Mrs.
Kitty. " I go to London, indeed ! As well go
to Jericho, while I'm about it ! What have I
got to do in London, or what has London to do
with me? Stuff and nonsense! You'd wish
me back before I had been gone half an hour ;
and I'm sure I should be wishing myself back

Bever Hollow. t6i

too. No, no ; London is all very well for those
that keep their carriages, and don't care how
they pay their bills ; but it's no place for me,
and I'm not going to budge."

Mrs. Althea felt immensely relieved.

1 62 l^he Ladies of

CHAPTER IX.

Merry Christmas,

Now Christmas is come,
Let us beat up the drum,
And call all our neighbours together.

Old Song.

TTOW joyous was the approach of
-■— ■- Christmas to Pamela! She was going
home, and preparing various little gifts for all
whom she loved ; a pretty knitted shawl for
her mother, a warm little rug for her father's
feet in the pulpit ; smart neck- ties for her
sisters, and warm, hought gloves for her brothers,
who being much accustomed to home-manu-
factures, set an extraordinary value on anything
that came from a shop. Then she had to

Bever Hollow. 163

fabricate ingenious inexpensive prizes for her
little pupils after they had gone to bed ; often
humming some old carol or chant over her
work. Then came her turn to receive presents
too — Mrs. Gljn gave her, oh ! grandeur ! a
violet and black checked silk dress; Adela
and Mab gave her a worked collar and cuffs ;
and, to crown all, Mr. Gljn, who had been
quite animated and pleasant of late, opened the
following dialogue on the evening of the first day
his mother came down stairs, when they had all
dined together in honour of the event, and
were sitting sociably round the fire.

*' Miss Bohun, monetary transactions are
dreadful things ; but as your attentions to my
little pets are not quite gratuitous, may I,
without offence, propose a little settlement
between us before we part ?"

'^ Oh ! thank you, sir ! *" said Pamela with
undisguised pleasure.

164 '^he Ladies of

" Here then," said he, smiling ; and holding
something towards her.

Pamela gratefully received it. " But this is
twice too much !" said she hastily.

"Why, you don't suppose I make half-
quarters, do you?" said he. "No, no, let us
hear no more of it — enough said! Well,
mamma, did Forest tell you the news to-day?"

Pamela sat blissfully revolving various ex-
travagances for the morrow. Here were fifteen
golden sovereigns : she boldly resolved to spend
five. Yes, she would buy a bonnet for her
mother, cloth and fringe for mantles for her
sisters, pictures and story-books for the young
ones, and Southey's Doctor in one double-
column volume for her father. All which,
being a good bargainer, she achieved. When
she showed her purchases to Mrs. Glyn, the
old lady was surprised — surprised at the eligible
investments, and surprised that Pamela had

Bever Hollow. 165

not laid out a penny on herself. Pamela
laughed and looked bright: that was not her
way of enjoying the spending of money. Mrs
Glyn thought girls of her sort ought to be
encouraged : she desired her own maid to assist
in cutting out the mantles ; so that with her
assistance, Pamela's swift little needle sped
through its task at over-hours, and accomplished
it, just before it was time to pack up for home.
She showed her work, with girlish satisfaction,
to Mrs. Glyn ; and that lady, after much com-
mendation, testified her approval by the donation
of an amethyst brooch, that might, perhaps,
have cost three guineas and was to all intents
and purposes as good as new.

At breakfast-time the next morning Pamela,
to her surprise, found that Mr. and Mrs. Glyn
and the little girls were going to start for
Brighton, immediately after Christmas-day.
To Brighton ! such an immense distance ! All

1 66 ^he Ladies of

settled after her going to bed, the previous
evening ? Yes ; it seemed one of the privileges
of wealth to take no anxious thought about
such movements, but to fly about from place to
place as freely as a bird flies from spray to
spray. The Hills were going too! Then
Pamela would lose the pleasure she had promised
herself, of some long walks and talks with
Khoda during the holidays. Change of scene
was very delightful, doubtless, to those who
liked it and felt in want of it : for her part, if
so much money were to be spent by her in
enjoyment, she would rather have spent it in
the summer time than at Christmas, when the
days were short, the trees leafless, and influenza
lying in wait for victims in every draughty
house and damp bed. She would rather spend
the genial season among the poor people she
knew, and could exchange merry looks and kind
words with ; rather see her own church decked

Bever Hollow, 167

with ivy and holly than any other ; rather sit
by her own fire-side than a strange one. Our
privileges are equalized a good deal, after all !

And oh ! what a happy meeting that was,
when she reached home, and was locked in
the arms of her fond father and mother, and
kissing her sisters and brothers ! Every one
seemed inclined, at first, to talk at once ; and
when this tendency was subdued, the inter-
locutors still spoke very fast, and looked very
eager, and laughed very often. Laughter of
the heart !

The Squire's Christmas hamper, too, had
arrived, running over with good things ; and
Mrs. Glyn had sent a ham and turkey ; and
farmer Boates had brought rabbits, and widow
Norland had killed them a fat goose; there
was no end to the good cheer. Fulk had stories
without end to tell of Oxford; but this was
no time for them, they must be kept for the

1 68 The Ladies of

evening semi-circle round the fire. Prue and
Patty had decked the parlour with holly, and
Hugh had taken care to tie a piece of mistletoe
to the beam across the ceiling. Pamela's
presents were produced, and never were presents
so admired, extolled, and valued. She poured
her ten bright sovereigns into her mother's lap.
Danae's shower of gold was insignificant in
comparison ! Pamela was happy as happy
could be ; yet as she flew about the house, it
seemed to her so much smaller, colder, and
scantily furnished than formerly. But if the
draughts, thin and few carpets and scanty
curtains kept the house cold, there was enough
of family affection in it to make it warm and
genial as heart could wish.

*' Well," cried Mr. Bohun, sitting down in
his warm corner : —

"No glory I covet, no riches I want.
Ambition is nothing to me,"

Bever Hollow, 169

as long as I have my old helpmate and my
dear lads and lasses all about me, doing well
and looking well. Mr. Glyn may run away
from his home at Christmas time, if he likes it.''

" ^Ir. Glyn is a very nice man, though, papa,
in many respects," said Pamela, twining her
arm within his.

"Is he so, missy? And in what does his
nicety chiefly consist?"

" Niceness, not nicety, papa, please ! Nicety
is his fault, niceness his merit. He has been
very generous, this hard winter to the poor — "

" I know he has, my dear ; they bless him
for it."

" And he really is very fond of his mother,
though he shows it in an odd way. Very fond
of his little girls, and kind to them, without
spoiling them. Very considerate and polite to
me. Kind, in a grand, lordly sort of way, to
his servants and dependents in general."

170 T^he Ladies of

f< Why, then, he^s all one could wish/' said
Giles, who was roasting chesnuts.

" No, that's not a sequitur," said Mr. Bohun.

t( Very good as far as it goes, and perhaps
Pamela may in the end make him out what you
say, though she has not done so yet/'

^^Is he a religious man, my dear?" said her
mother.

"Well, no — and yet yes," said Pamela,
hesitating ; " his is not surface religion, you
know."

" Much good it would be of, if it were," said
Fulk, fillipping a nutshell into the fire.

" I mean, it does not appear much on the
surface; but I think, at least I hope it lies
underneath."

"Pleasant? no stuff about him?" inquired
Hugh tersely.

" Pleasant, very ; especially lately."

"Why, especially lately?" said her father.

Bever Hollow, 171

" Well, papa, it may be only my fancy, but
I have sometimes tbought lie must be in love/'

" That does not always make men pleasant/^
said Fulk. " Sometimes they turn desperately
egotistical and vapid/'

''It has had quite a different effect on Mr.
Glyn," said Pamela. " Supposing I am in the
right, you know, in my fancy. He has seemed
in good humour with everybody.

''What should have made him otherwise
before ? " asked Hugh.

"He was not cross, only indifferent/' said
Pamela. " In want of an object, I think."

"And whom is he in love with?" asked
Prudence, eagerly.

"Pamela, of course," said Ealph, looking
very roguish.

" That's just it, master Witty-pate," said she
laughing and pinching his ear. " You have hit
it exactly, so I must tell you no more.'*

172 'The Ladies of

" Come, Pamela, tell me/' said Patience
imploringly.

^^ Ah, I dare say. Why don't you believe
Ralph?'' said Pamela. "Come, Ealph! I
love my love with an A because he is amiable,
I hate him because he is avaricious."

"Avaricious and amiable! Oh Pamela!"
cried little Charity, clapping her hands.

" I love my love, with an F, because he is
funny," burst in Hugh, looking mischievously
at Pamela, " I hate him because he is formi-
dable. His name is Forest, and he lives in
Fordington. That's what t/ou should say ! — "

" Hark ! here come the caroUers," said
Pamela; and listening they heard the distant
sound of clear young treble voices singing : —

" Peace on earth and mercy mild,
Man with Heaven reconciled."

" How lovely!" murmured Pamela, and the
young chatterers became attent and solemnized.

Bever Hollow, ijt,

" Which of you can repeat Wordsworth's
pretty lines on hearing the waits playing
beneath his window ?" said Mr. Bohun.

"I can, father/' said Fulk, and he did so.

" When the young car oilers come here, I
must give them some cakes and a cup of warm
beer," said Mrs. Bohun.

'' That's poetry, mamma," cried Geoffrey
laughing.

"It's poetiy they'll like very well, Geoffrey.
Perhaps their poetry may convert the warm
beer into wassail bowl."

" All ! do let us have a wassail bowl, mother
dear !" cried Hugh eagerly. "We did once."

" Once ! how grand ! " said Mr. Bohun
laughing. " These children have almost as
vague ideas of wine as Avaro's steeds had of
com."

" Come, mamma, do !"

" Nonsense, you chicks ! "

VOL. II. N

174 ^^^^ Ladies of

" Charity begins at home, mamma. You
ought to centralize your sympathies. If you
give those little vagabonds warm beer, you
should give your own children wassail bowl."

"It will take a whole bottle of wine," said
Mrs. Bohun, hesitatingly.

" I don't believe the real old wassail was
made of wine," said Mr. Bohun. " Else, why
' wine and wassail '? it would be tautology."

" Oh, father, don't broach such dreadfully
niggardly opinions on Christmas-eve!" cried
Fulk. " ' Christmas comes but once a year.'
There are but thirteen glasses in a bottle : here
are your ten children, my mother and you.
One glass a-piece, father, and one for manners."

" One glass a-piece, and two for papa," inter-
rupted little Charity.

" Well put in, Caritas, alias Carrots.'*

" Come, Fulk, you shall get the wine," said
his mother, rummaging among her keys,

Bever Hollow, ij^

" Prudence shall boil the spice, and Hugh shall
roast the crab-apples."

" ' The cook, if he lack not wisdom, shall
sweetly lick his lingers/ mamma I "

*' You may do as you like about that ; mean-
time, 1 must go and warm the beer. Cut up
the plain cake for them, Patience."

" Papa ! please make a rabbit on the wall."

" Willingly. See, Koger, here is a noble
rabbit ! How he moves his ears ! Pretty
Bunny ! — Ah ! I see a strange shadow, — whose
profile is that? Somebody coming in. Ha!
^Mr. Mildmay ! This is neighbourly of you !"

" I just dropped in to wish you all a merry
Christmas," said George. " You know, I have
done so these three years. Have yoiL forgotten
it?" said he in a lower voice to Pamela, as he
took her hand.

" Then that 's why we are to have the Squire's
turkey for supper," cried Mr, Bohun. " My
n2

1 76 T^he Ladies of

wife was so sly, she never named you, but I 'm
sure slie thought of you. Come, Mr. Mildmay,
it will only be changing the name of your late
dinner, — Turkey, sausages, mince-pies, wassail-
bowl, at eight o'clock."

" Sir, I shall be most happy."

" ' Now, let us sit, though not upon the ground,
And tell strange stories of the deaths of kings.' "

" Your horse, Mr. Mildmay, must be put up."
" Sir, I have seen to his Christmas comforts
already, thank you; trusting, not groundlessly,
you see, that you would take me in. I wish
every poor wayfarer were taken in to as good
a fire and as good company this evening, and
that 's a large wish."

" Where shall you eat your Christmas dinner,
Mr. Mildmay?"

" Will you let me eat it Jiere^ sir ? "

" You will help us to make up a baker's

Bever Hollow. 177

dozen ; but remember, thirteen is an unlucky
number."

" And there 's a coffin leapt out of the fire,"
cried Hugh.

" Nonsense," said Pamela, " it's a purse."

" As I am not superstitious about coffins or
unlucky numbers," said George, " I will make
bold to come, with your permission, and in
time for church, looking in on Mrs. Althea by
the way. Hark ! here come the carollers in
full force!"

And the fall tide of song burst forth in front
of the house —

Hark ! the herald-angels sing.
Glory to the new-bom King !

Christmas morning was " frosty but kindly."
Mrs. Althea and Mrs. Kitty exchanged fond
kisses and good wishes. Their friends had not
forgotten them : their larder was full, the post

178 T^he Ladies of

brought kind letters; the parlour was adorned
with Christmas greens and Christmas gifts.
A reading-desk for Mrs. Althea from Ehoda ;
a lamp-candle for Mrs. Kitty, from George
Mildmay ; a pretty tea-urn for both, from Miss
Eickards. Many humbler friends had the
sisters gladdened in their turn. Trains of
thrifty mothers and scantily clad children were
seen cheerfully hastening homewards with
steaming, savoury messes provided by Mrs.
Kitty, or warm additions to their clothing from
Mrs. Althea. Mrs. Brand called it " charming !
charming ! " but was persuaded her dear friends
must have spent a great deal of money, and
delighted when she heard they had not.

" A merry Christmas to you, my dear Mrs.
Kitty!" cried George Mildmay, looking in on
his way to church. " I am glad to see you
tying up the mistletoe, — of course, I shall avail
myself of it."

Bever Hollow. 179

" George, how can jou be so stupid?" said
Mrs. Kitty, shaking him off.

" Why, you look as blythe as a bridegroom,
George !" said Mrs. Althea, holding out her
hand. He took it, and kissed it, saying softly,
as lie bent over her with a smile, " Perhaps
I may be one, some of these days."

Answering her quick look, he added, " I live
in hope." Then turning about, " Ladies, I
would have you to know it is full time to get
ready for church."

" That depends upon how long we take to
get ready," said Mrs. Kitty, smartly.

" Well, the bells are going."

" Not all of them, till we go," said Mrs.
Kitty. " However, Eliza, I believe we have
not much time to spare."

" Nor have I," said George, waiting, how-
ever, till they had left tlie room. Then, with
eager subdued voice, and mantling colour,

i8o T^he Ladies of

" Mrs. Altliea," said he, " I have spoken. She
is mine ! — we are engaged ! "

" How thankful I am 1 May Heaven's bless-
ing rest on you both ! This will indeed make
Christmas merry to me !"

" You are always finding your happiness in
others ! When may she come to you ? She is
longing for an uninterrupted hour."

" Ah, my dear friend, I seldom have an
uninterrupted hour now. However, Kitty and
Mrs. Brand are going to see the conjuror to-
morrow ; they will walk over by daylight, and
take tea with a friend in the town first ; so that
if you and Pamela would not mind a twilight
walk—"

" Oh, delightful ! Of course, we should mind
it very much if it were not for your sake, and
we shall not have anything to talk about by
the way, so you must coddle us and make
much of us when we arrive,"

Bever Hollow, i8i

'* Well, 1^11 see what 1 Ccan do. How happy
her father and mother must be ! "

*' Well, ma'am, you forget how short the
time has been for telling them yet. But the
truth is, I did give dear Mrs. Bohun just one
little hint beforehand, which smoothed the way
for me wonderfully ; and I'll answer for it she
has foimd means, by this time, to tell her hus-
band. Good bye, good bye !"

Mrs. Althea read the Christmas service quietly
and thankfully. It was not her first solitary
housekeeping on a Christmas morning; and
when she thought of the brighter, healthier
days, when she had " gone forth with the
multitude unto the house of God with the
voice of praise and thanksgiving among such as
kept holy-day," her heart did not die within
her, for she was able to put her trust in Him
who was the help of her countenance and her
God.

1 82 The Ladies of

True, the future looked dark ; true, years of
tedious confinement and increasing infirmity
and weakness lay before her, unless a shorter
road were unexpectedly afibrded to her journey's
end. And then poor Kitty would be left alone,
unless she cast in her lot with Mrs. Brand.

Well, even that might be for Kitty's comfort.
But Mrs. Althea would not look forward ; she
would confide her future to Him who had
already brought her thus far safely on life's
journey.

Bever Hollow. 183

CHAPTER X.
Mrs, AltJieas Tea-tahle,

We brought our work, and came, you see.
To take a friendly cup of tea.

Jane Taylor. Recreation.

II TRS. Kitty and Mrs. Brand had started
•*^^ to see the unparalleled and unrivalled
performances of the Wizard of the West, about
half an hour ; and Mrs. Althea, in her best
claret silk dress and French shawl, was lying
in sober expectancy of waking bliss in the
company of her young friends, when Pamela
entered alone, glowing with health and happi-
ness, and threw herself into her arms.

George had some patients round Collington

184 The Ladies of

to see before his day's business was over ; but
he had walked with her great part of the way,
and would be sure to join them before tea ; and
Pamela was not sorry to have Mrs. Althea to
herself for an hour in the first place, as she had
so much to say that could not be said in the
presence of others. First, there were her school-
room experiences, which she spoke of in a very
cheerful spirit : she did not dislike governessing
at all ; she had always been fond of children and
of teaching, and it was delightful to find herself
useful.

Life is real, life is earnest,
And this world is not its goal.

And then there was the joy of returning home,
which she could never have had if she had not
left it : of returning, crowned with home-honours,
thanked by her parents as a family benefac-
tress, revered and idolized by her younger
brothers and sisters, and with the consciousness

Bever Hollo'w. 185

of lia\'ing given satisfaction to lier employers.
All this would liave made up an enviable
amount of felicity, even if —

Pamela blushed as she approached the sub-
ject of her engagement. It appeared, that there
had been of old a kind of boy and girl attach-
ment between George and herself. On his side
it had seemed to die out, at any rate had been
lost sight of, in the busy scenes of life ; while
hers had still existed, insofar as to make her
feel there was no one she had ever seen whom
she liked so much, or who was so calculated to
make her happy. But Pamela's upright and
earnest nature was not one to expend itself in
hopeless longings or vain despairs ; she had
firmly closed the door against the subject under
any guise, as much as in her lay ; and it is
surprising how our efforts of this kind are
seconded, if we make them with a will. Still,
the foe, though bound hand and foot, starved

1 86 The Ladies of

out, and asleep, was alive: it needed but to
loose his bonds, rouse him, and give him food,
to make him rise up in renewed vigour. And
therefore, when Pamela found that George
Mildmay, if he had not loved her all this while,
yet had loved her long, loved her now and loved
her much, she could return his affection with
all the purity and fervour of her heart.

Long before the ' old and young friend had
exhausted all they had to say, George joined
them. The fire was bright, the shutters closed,
and the curtains drawn; but there was only
the cheerful fire-light, though the new and
pretty lamp stood in the centre of the table
that Mrs. Kitty had generously covered for
her sister's guests with numerous varieties of
cake and bread, delicate slices of ham and
turkey, and glass-saucers of sweetmeats and
honey. A gay urn-rug, worked by Miss
E-ickards, awaited the new urn that had super-

Bever Hollow. 187

seded the bright little brass kettle. As soon as
George entered, Hannah proudly brought in
the urn, loudly hissing and throwing up a
prodigious column of steam, and planted it with
a mighty and ostentatious effort on the table.
Pamela immediately prepared to do the honours;
but George begged that the lamp might not
be immediately lighted, the fire-light was so
pleasant.

He looked beaming with love, good faith, and
every honest and manly feeling and affection ;
notwithstanding which, there was a little frown
on his brow, slight as a summer cloud. Both
his companions observed it, and he was not one
to keep its origin long concealed.

" That Mrs. Brand of yours," he presently
began, '' what a toad she is ! — First, she meets
me on the Queen's highway, detains me from
my lawful affairs by ever so much gammon, and
ends by telling me !Mr. Knight is going away ;

1 88 T^he Ladies of

but begs me to keep it a dead secret. Of course
I do; of course she doesn't, but blabs it to
one and another, putting each under the same
restriction of secrecy, which of course only
makes every one the readier to whisper it.
What's the consequence? The tradesmen think
Mr. Knight is going to abscond before Christ-
mas, and send in their bills; he, naturally
wrathy, complains to Mrs. Brand ; she puts it
off upon me, confessing that she let it out in my
presence, but no other. Let it out, indeed ! —
I met Knight just now, who looked as black as
Le Noir Faineant ; so without any ceremony, I
said, ' Mr. Knight, I find there is an uncom-
fortable impression afloat that I have told
people you are going away. I had it from Mrs.
Brand ; but, I assure you, I mentioned it to no
living creature but Mrs. Althea Hall, who was
safe to hear it from Mrs. Brand, if not from meJ
"Would not you have expected this to mollify

Bever Ho/low. 189

the fellow? But no, I could see he still owe<I
me a grudge ; and though he said a few civil
words that meant nothing, he spoilt them by
adding, that it might as well have been told the
town crier as to you ; for that you received and
entertained the whole county ! This nettled me,
I confess ; and ' Mr. Knight, ' said I, ' if you
mean, by entertaining the county, that the lady
in question entertains the best of our county
families by retailing small local news, I can
assure you, you never were more mistaken. No
one is less indebted to petty scandals for her
power of entertaining her friends, and instruct-
ing them, too, than Mrs. Althea : — and so, sir, as
I believe I am keeping you from your dinner, I
have the pleasure of wishing you good evening! ' "

" Well done ! " said Pamela, approvingly.

" George," said Mrs. Althea, amused, " you
had better leave me to fight my own battles ;
which will, perhaps, end in my having no

VOL. II. 0

190 T^he Ladies of

battles at all. Mr. Knight may say and think
what he likes of me and the county ; but it will
do me no harm with any one who knows me ;
and I shall not hear what he says. But nothing
would annoy me more than that you should
embroil yourself with him, and make him your
active enemy, which will hurt you more than
him, as he is certainly going away, and may
leave a sting behind him.^'

" A clear stage and no favour, ma'am, is all
I desire. Don't let us waste our time by
talking or thinking any more on so disagreeable
a subject. I thought, to be sure, it would be
nice to divide the business with Forest, and
take the outlying districts including Collington,
which are more fatiguing to Forest than to a
light young fellow like me; and Knight's small
leavings and his cottage seemed desirable,
^specially under present circumstances; but we'll
find another, won't we, Pamela ? "

Bever Hollow. i g i

" Another and a better," said Pamela. " I
never was so particularly fond of Mr. Knight's
cottage ; the walls are so bare, so straight and
uninteresting."

*' It would be anything but uninteresting to
me," said George, " if you were its mistress and
I its master/'

" Ah, that would make a grand difference, no
doubt," said Pamela, laughing. " We can well
wait for something better."

" Wait till a house is built ? My dearest
Pamela!—"

" Well, it will be something to look forward
to, and to watch in progress."

" Oh, that will never do."

" I'm afraid it would be too expensive," said
Pamela, wistfully. " It must cost a gTcat deal
to build a house, even a little one. What a pity
we can't build one ourselves ! "

" Just put in a brick or two when the humour
02

192 The Ladies of

suits us, hey V And get the boys to help us for
a frolic, on half-holidays. Or this way : —
Suppose my laying a wager with somebody —
Mr. Glyn, for instance — that I'd build my own
house ! Then, you know, there would be no
shame in doing it. You should carry the trowel
and I the hod. Oh, delightful ! "

" Ah, something will turn up for us, some of
these days — "

" Can't you fancy me, splashing about the
lime and water, or doing a neat little bit of
masonry?"

" Oh, exactly ! "

"If we could even get a house in the
shell—"

" With you for the snail ? No, that would
not do."

" I'm no snail ! It's you are the snail, all for
procrastinating."

" Procrastination is not my nature, is it, Mrs.

Bever Hollow, 193

Altliea ? But there is no good in doing things
in a huny ; and some things cannot and Trill not
be done in a hurry. Xow, for instance, my
engagement to Mr. Glyn cannot be given up at
the first word — "

" What ! not for an engagement to Mr.
Mildmay ? "

" I've a notion," said Mrs. Althea, " that
Mr. Glyn has an engagement of his own in
view — if it be not made already — that may
make him wonderfully lenient towards you."

" Have you found that out ? '^ said Pamela,
smiling, and colouring a little.

" Why, I all but know it. Ehoda had all but
told me, when Mrs. Brand came in."

" Ah, that Mrs. Brand P" groaned George.
" Pamela ! why did you blush when you spoke
of Mr. Glyn's engagement ? "

"Did I? I don't know— "

" Come ; I shall be jealous ! "

1 94 ^^^ Ladies of

" I suppose it was because I felt a little
ashamed — "

'* Of what, pray?"

" Of being sharp-sighted on the subject.
And I may be mistaken yet."

" Oh, I think you are not," said Mrs. Althea.
" E,hoda's communications made the matter
pretty certain."

" What a nice thing for her ! She does not
seem very well placed in her present home, and
Mr. Glyn can offer her such a nice one ! "

" If I had known he had been pre-occupied
in that quarter," said George, drawing a deep
breath, " it would have saved me some sleepless
nights.^'

*' Oh, Mr. Mildmay, how could you be so
stupid as to be afraid of him ? "

" Mr. Mildmay ? "

" George, then, " softly, and hesitating a
little, with a pretty heightening of colour.

Bever Hollow. 195

" How could I be so stupid ? " repeated he
absently, and much more occupied in looking at
her than in thinking of what he said. " Well,
I am sure there was plenty to be afraid of —
prosperity, personality, propinquity."

"Dear Mr.Mildmay, the propinquity between
the master of the house and the governess is
nothing ! "

" Ought to be nothing, at any rate," said
Mrs. Althea.

*' And can be nothing, in a well-regulated
femily like Mr. Glyn's," said Pamela. " We
were pleasant and polite to each other ; but
should never have been anything more, if we
had lived to the age of Methuselah."

George burst out laughing.

*' Something short of the age of that venerated
gentleman," said he, "I should have thought
you tolerably safe."

" In the event of this alliance taking place,"

196 The Ladies of

said Pamela, " I dare say they will not want a
governess."

'' My adorable Pamela, tliey will not want the
children always hanging about them. But they
might find plenty of governesses, I should
think, at Brighton."

*' Brighton is nearly as large as London, I
suppose ? "

" You dear ignoramus ! no ! "

"Why should you think governesses so rife
there, then?"

" Because it's a place where people are always
going and coming, and changing their servants,
and changing their governesses.''

" Is it a nice place ? "

" Very, — for shops and sea, and Mutton's
pies, and Silvani's gimcracks."

"Mutton-pies?"

" Mutton's pies. He's the top pastry-cook.
I dare sayMr.Glyn is eating one of his pies now."

Bever Hollow, 197

" Oil no ; it is only six o'clock, and Mr. Gljn
does not dine till seven. If I were Elioda, I
would alter that."

" If you were Rlioda, you would probably
like seven o'clock dinners and Mr. Glyn ; in-
stead of one o'clock dinners and George
Mildmay."

" You don't dine early, I'm afraid."

" I will, to please you."

" Oh no, I shall not mind it much."

" When a man comes in, throws off his great
coat, cloak, or poncho, puts on his shoes, and
feels there is nothing between him and mid-
night, but his dinner, his wife, his wife's tea-
table, his book, and his good fire, — it's no bad
thing, I fancy ! "

'^ But you sometimes have something be-
tween— "

" Ah, don't remind me of that horrid surgery-
bell ! We'll tie it up, my Pamela ! "

198 The Ladies of

Chatting thus, on one thing and another, the
light-hearted, happy young people needed no
entertainment beyond that with which they
supplied one another ; nor did Mrs. Althea
want any beyond hearing them and looking at
their blythe faces. The hour came only too
soon, when, with all her hospitality, she was
obliged to turn them out. Pamela allowed it
was quite time to go : they kept early hours at
home, and George would have a long dark ride
afterwards. George protested against the ride
being either long or dark ; but he was sure it
was time for Mrs. Althea to be in bed and
asleep; and, to prevent his needing any
other incentives to depart, she did not gain-
say it. •

" And pray, how are Mrs. Kitty and Mrs.
Brand coming home?" said George. "Will
they, too, foot it ?"

*' George, whisper it not in polite circles-—

Bever Hollow^ 199

they are coming home in a light, covered cart,
with plenty of sacks and matting in it."

" Well, I'm glad to hear it, ma'am, for, with
Mrs. Kitty's tendency to the rheumatics, such a
long walk on a cold night might be dangerous.
Give her some hot negus when she comes back ;
or, rather, let Hannah make her a treacle-posset,
for you must go presently to bed. I, your
health's director, insist on it. Good night, dear
Mrs. Althea ! May you yet have many happy
Christmases ! "

A tear shone in her eye, but a smile was on
her lips, as she shook hands with him, and
kissed Pamela.

She could not watch them from the door, but
she could listen to their retreating footsteps, and,
when those became inaudible, could yet be near
them in fancy, and follow them with many a
hope, and wish, and prayer. Then she calmly
pursued her evening reading; then rang for

200 The Ladies of

Hannah to set the supper-tray for the absentees
against their return, and to help her to bed.

The cold, and busy thoughts, kept her awake.
At length, she heard them arrive, with much
talking and laughing, which became hushed as
they entered the house. A man's voice, an un-
known voice, seemed among them.

Presently, Kitty, on tiptoe, peeped very
guardedly, into her sister's room.

"Is it you, Kitty? Come in! I am not
asleep ! Have you had a pleasant evening? "

*' Very," said Kitty. " It was such fun.
Some of the tricks were capital. I'll tell you
about them to-morrow. And how do you think
we came home ? "

" In the spring-cart, to be sure ! "

*'InMr. Knight's gig!"

"Oh, Kitty!"

" He was there, and so polite I And Eliza
made room for him, so he sat next us all the

Bever Hollow, 201

performauce, and made himself quite agreeable.
Then, when we came away, he squired us out,
and insisted on calling our carriage, and I could
not help laughing, because it was a cart ; but
Eliza felt terribly ashamed, and he, seeing it,
a,nd naturally anxious to please his new tenant,
offered to drive us home, if we didn't mind the
cold, and Eliza said, ' Oh, that will be far plea-
santer ! ' so he did."

" Why, you must have been ready to perish
with cold ! " cried Mrs. Althea. " Dear me, it
was very dangerous !"

" It ims very cold," said Mrs. Kitty ; " but
here we are now, and youVe left us a famous
fire and a good spread. So, now I'll go and
give the poor man a tumbler of hot wine and
water, and let him go his ways."

" Do you mean Mr. Knight is actually in the
house?"

''Certainly. We could not turn him away

202 T^he Ladies of

from the door, you know," said Kitty. " So I
must not leave him any longer, for he is wanting
something to warm him, and so am I, for this
room is very cold, — good night ! "

And Mrs. Althea was left to think her own
thoughts upon it.

" If they had been girls of fifteen," thought
she, "one need not have been surprised; but
Mrs. Brand is always do'ng something dis-
agreeably surprising ; and, oh, Kitty, Kitty,
you're not fifteen ! "

Bever Ho /low. 203

CHAPTER XL

The Sisters Sundered,

Our hardest battle may always be our last ; though we dare not
take it for granted it will be so. Christian only passed once
through the Valley of Humihation ; and though he after-
wards was scourged by a heavenly chastiser, he took it meekly
and went on his way : it did not occur again.

II /TES. Althea did not see Mrs. Kitty again
-*-*-■- for many days. How was this, you will
ask? Marry, it requires some little expla-
nation.

On the morning after the wizard's perform-
ance, Mrs. Althea, awaking, found herself with
a violent cold in her head, and a sore;Jthroat.
A cold blast of air had blown open her door
when Mr. Knight went away, and she had been
lying in a draught all night. Mrs. Althea

204 '^^^ Ladies of

thought the best and simplest remedy for her
cold was lying in bed, and told Hannah she
should not get up to breakfast.

" I thinks the ladies up-stairs be of the same
mind," said Hannah. " I doesn't hear them
stirring."

" Perhaps they would like breakfast in bed
too," said Mrs. Althea. " If they would, you
can make it for us all; I dare say they are
tired."

Hannah retreated, shaking her head in an
ominous, dissatisfied manner, and muttering
that Mrs. Kitty was no ways used to be a
slug-a-bed o' mornings. Presently Mrs. Althea
heard "the bubbling and loud hissing ui'n"
being carried into the parlour, which was fol-
lowed by the chink of tea-spoons. She guessed
Kitty had come down and was bestirring her-
self, which was confirmed by some one pre-
sently tapping at her bedroom-door. She said.

Bever Hollow. 205

" Come in ! " expecting to see Kitty ; when,
lo ! in came Mrs. Brand.

"May I be admitted?" said she, putting in
her head, and leaving the rest of her person in
the passage. Then, tip-toeing in, as if Mrs.
Althea were asleep,

" Kitty is tired, and, between ourselves, has
a little cold," said she, " so I have persuaded
her to breakfast in bed. You won't mind it,
will you ? "

"Dear me, no," said Mrs. Althea. "I
thought you had both better do so. Persuade
her to remain in bed all day, if she thinks it
will do her any good. I should be quite sorry
for her to come down on my account."

" That is just what I told her I was sure you
would say," said Mrs. Brand; "and her only
objection is that you will send up Mr. Forest or
Mr. Mildmay to her, if either of them should
come."

VOL. II. p

2o6 lihe Ladies of

" If that is all, I promise her I will not,"
said Mrs. Althea, "so let her keep herself
warm with an easy mind. I hope she will be
quite well to-morrow."

" Thank you," said Mrs. Brand. " Might I
suggest some mutton-broth for dinner? "

" Certainly. It is already ordered," said
Mrs. Althea.

" Thank you, thank you," said Mrs. Brand,
gliding away, " I am sure Kitty will like it."

" What does the woman mean by her ' thank
yous'," thought Mrs. Althea, chafing; does she
mean to make out Kitty's comforts less cared
for by her sister than her friend ? ''

About an hour after breakfast, Mrs. Brand
stepped in again, in a warm shawl, with her
crochet in her hand. Mrs. Althea, preferring
to be alone, closed her eyes, as if asleep ; for
which artifice she was rewarded by seeing
through her eyelashes Mrs. Brand tiptoeing

Bever Hollow, 207

about the room, setting it to rights, as she
considered, but in reality, putting everything
out of its place, and out of Mrs. Althea's
reach.

" Please don't move that," said Mrs. Althea,
suddenly.

" Oh,'' said Mrs. Brand, starting, " are you
awake ? I thought I would come and sit with
you a little, that you might not miss Kitty."

" Thank you, you are very kind ; but, do
you know, I really prefer being alone ; for my
throat is too sore to make talking very pleasant
or safe, and, if left to myself, I shall very likely
doze."

'• Is there anything I can get for you ?
Lozenges ? liquorice ? sage-tea ? "

" Thank you, I have, or had, everything
within reach. Will you be so good as to
replace the bonbonni^re by the bed-side?"

" Certainly. Would you like a book ? "
p2

2o8 The Ladies of

"No, thank you/'

" Or newspaper? '^

" No, thank you. I am never fond of read-
ing in bed ; and holding either book or news-
paper, would make my arms cold.''

" And, by the bye, there is a dreadful draught
down this chimney of yours. I should recom-
mend a chimney -board."

" What, when you prevailed on Kitty to
sleep up stairs, because she had no chimney in
her room?" cried Mrs. Althea.

Mrs. Brand was out of countenance. " And
a good thing I did," said she, quickly recovering
herself, " for now she is able to have a roaring
fire. I recommend you one."

" Oh, no, thank you," said Mrs. Althea, who
really felt in Avant of one, but thought, if she
made her bedroom too comfortable, there would
be no getting Mrs. Brand out of it.

Shortly afterwards, however, Hannah made

Bever Hollow. 209

her appearance, with 'sticks, paper, and coals,
and began to lay the fire.

" Is that your idea, Hannah, or Mrs. Brand's?"/
said Mrs. Althea.

" I doesn't take ray orders from Mrs. Brand,"
said Hannah, indignantly. " I knew youd
want it, and Mr, George would he ordering of it.
If Mrs. Kitty lays in bed, I must do the best
I can in Mrs. Kitty's place. Mrs. Brand?
Bless ye ! she order you a fire ? She orders
one for herself, whenever it takes her fancy ;
but she thinks of nobody else, not she."

" You are mistaken, Hannah ; for she offered
me a fire just now."

" Offered, indeed ! Were she going to pay
for it ? I should think my missises might
order theirselves fires when they wanted 'em,
without her offers."

Such is poor human nature, that Mrs. Althea
could not help feeling a kind of satisfaction in

210 T^he Ladies of

this open partizansliip of her maid. She felt it
was wrong, and took herself to task for it with
sighs and humiliation.

At noon, Mr. Forest called on her. He was
afraid she had a touch of the prevailing epi-
demic, and recommended her keeping in bed
till he saw her again. " How's Mrs. Kitty,
after her frolic ?" said he.

" How came you to know she had had one ?"
said Mrs. Althea.

" Oh, we doctors have ways and means. My
groom was at the conjuror's, and a good many
other grooms too, I fancy. The Western Wizard
did not draw a very genteel house. Moreover,
Mr. Knight sat next to your sister's friend, and
Mr. Knight drove your sister and her friend
home. There now ! "

" Ah, well, it is a disagreeable subject," said
Mrs. Althea. " I shall be glad when the man is
gone."

Bever Hollow. 211

" I don't believe he's going," said Mr. Forest.
" What makes you think so? "

*' I had better not meddle with other people's
affairs, I believe," said she smiling.

Mr. Forest had, to Mrs. Althea's belief, left
the house about a quarter of an hour, when she
seemed to hear his voice through the walls, from
the parlour; and, her senses being quickened
by the circumstance, she presently fancied she
heard a man's foot stealthily ascending the stairs.

" Mrs. Brand never can be candid ! " thought
she. " After being closeted with Mr. Forest,
she is taking him up to see Kitty, who must
be more seriously ill than I supposed ! "

She hastily rang the bell. Hannah answered
it, looking very glum.

" Is Mr. Forest still in the house, Hannah ? "

*' No, mum."

" I thought I heard him going up to Mrs.
Kitty."

2 1 2 T^he Ladies of

" No, mum."

" Are you quite sure?^'

"Yes, mum!" — throwing nearly a scuttle-
full of coals on the fire.

" I suppose I am a little feverish, and that
makes me fanciful," said Mrs. Althea, sinking
back on her pillow.

Hannah was evidently in very bad humour,
and she therefore would not say anything more
to upset her ; otherwise, she would presently
have asked her whether some one had not been
quietly let out of the house door.

" Mrs. Brand is doubtless gone for her walk,"
thought she. " She lays much stress on regular
exercise."

But, soon after, the chance opening of two
doors at once, enabled her to hear, for a moment,
Mrs. Brand and Kitty chatting very merrily.

" Kitty cannot be seriously ill, to talk and
laugh like that," cogitated Mrs. Althea. And

Bever Hollow. 213

this was her only piece of comfort the rest of
the day.

The next day passed very much like the
first. Mrs. Althea expected to see Mrs. Kitty ;
but Mrs. Brand appeared instead. " Kate was
still in bed. In fact, her cold was rather
more troublesome, though nothing at all to
signify."

When Mrs. Brand used the expression " in
fact," it was generally a sign that the fact was
being departed from. Mrs. Althea applied to
Hannah.

" Hannah, is Mrs. Kitty very ill? "

" Not as I knows on, mum. Mrs. Brand
takes all the waiting on herself."

" Do you mean you've not seen her ? "

" Well, ma'am, I've seen her nightcap peep-
ing from under the bedclothes : but she has a
cold, she says, and covers herself up close."

" Have you heard her speak?"

2 1 4 The Ladies of

" Oh dear, yes, mum."

" Is her voice altered? "

" Altered, mum ? "

" Like a person's with a sore throat or hoarse-
ness?"

" Oh dear, no, mum, Mrs. Kitty speaks up,
like."

As Hannah was still undeniably grumpy,
Mrs. Althea gave up the cross-examination in
despair, and said,

" Go up stairs, and ask Mrs. Kitty, from me,
how she is now."

Hannah went, and returned with, " She says
she's purely, thanke'e, mum, and doesn't want
for nothing."

"Did you see her?"

" Mrs. Brand told me not to let in the
draught, mum."

" Mrs. Brand blows hot and cold about
draughts," murmured Mrs. Althea. " If Mr.

Bever Hollo^v, 215

Forest or George come to-daj, I shall insist on
her seeing whichever of them it is."

But neither of them came; and still Mrs.
Brand's bulletins were interlarded with " the
truth is," and " in fact."

Kitty continued up-stairs, and Hannah grew
more and more cross and uncommunicative.
Mrs. Althea was in a nervous fever. She was
too ill to leave her bed ; no one called ; and she
had nothing to do but to lie still and torment
herself with perturbing, improbable conjectures.
She was weary, weary! as Mariana in the
Moated Grange ; almost ready to get one of the
ploughmen to carry her up-stairs. As for Mrs.
Brand, she quite hated her stealthy tread and
inistling gown. When Mrs. Brand, invested
pro tern, with Kitty's bunch of keys, came to
indulge Mrs. Althea with a little chat^ it was
always to tell her that there was very little wine
in the cellar, or the tea was running short, or

21 6 T^he Ladies of

the pantry window was broken, Hannah said
by the cat ; broken so that a man might put his
hand in and help himself to mince-pies without
the least difficulty ! She believed Hannah and
some one else played into each other's hands ;
she thought Hannah was making a purse ; she
had found one of Mrs. Althea's cotton-reels on
the kitchen dresser, hidden away in a tea-cup I
Concealment looked like .... well, she would
not say what it looked like ; but she must own
she liked people to be open and above-board.

"Do you?" thought the indignant Mrs.
Althea.

These visits were terrible inflictions ; but
Kitty would not be easy unless they were made ;
and in the intervals, Mrs. Althea could do
nothing but listen to the flail in the barn, and
the ticking of the clock on the stairs. Could do
nothing else? Why, Mrs. Brand said to her
daily, "I know you don't mind being alone,

Bever Hollow. 217

because jou have sucli a well-stored mind ! "
Alas, her mind refused to give up its stores —
she could hardly pray, she could hardly think,
she could not even lie dozing '• in indolent vacuity
of thought." Her mind was wide-awake, fever-
ishly so, but it could not meditate, it could only
feel. She envied the cat that sat blinking
before the fire.

Three days thus passed, without her seeing
any one but Mrs. Brand and Hannah ; the
latter getting so upset that Mrs. Althea began,
in dismay, to consider the possibility of her be-
coming completely unsettled and giving warn-
ing. There was terror in the thought. She
knew Kitty had words with Hannah now and
then, and by no means thought her too excellent
to be replaced ; but, to Mrs. Althea, who hated
strange faces about her, and to whose ways Hannah
had become accustomed, the idea of change was
distraction. She resolved^ if things did not

21 8 The Ladies of

mend in twenty-four hours, to come to an under-
standing with Hannah the next day.

Things neither mended nor worsened, except-
ing that Mrs. Althea's illness increased. In the
night, she was obliged to ring for Hannah.
Hannah was sleeping heavily and did not hear
the bell. " Oh, Kitty, Kitty ! " thought Mrs.
Althea, "it would not have been thus with your
She lay still, endured the pain, and did without
the remedy.

" What a poor creature am I ! " thought she.
" How small are my powers of endurance, how
much I depend upon others ! Mrs. Brand says
mockingly what many are in the habit of saying
in good faith, and always grieve me by saying —
* I know you have such infinite resources ! '
Where are they? in what respect have I the
advantage of my humblest, most unintellectual
neighbour ? I can neither frame a prayer with
any fervour, nor even recollect an entire hymn. If

Bever Hollow. 219

I get through a verse, the rest fleets from me,
and I find myself tossing and fretting for Kitty."

And thus have thousands felt before you,
Mrs. Althea. "What a piece of work is a man !
how noble in reason ! how infinite in faculties ! "
And yet what a poor creature he is when laid
aside by disease, and weakness, and impaired
spirits. Sometimes, indeed, he soars superior
to them all ; but that is seldom when the pres-
sure is on the nerves ; or on the afi'ections.

The best way for a sufferer under trials that
will make themselves felt, is not so much to
grapple with them as foes as to embrace them
as friends ; saying to each of them in turn,
" Come, thou blessed of the Lord ! Fit me to
inherit the kingdom prepared for me ! "

On the fourth day, ^Ir. Forest called ; and he
came in, looking almost as cross as Hannah.
Mrs Althea' s heart began to flutter ; was all
the world, all her little world, going wrong ?

2 20 T^he Ladies of

" I have been very poorly since you were
here last," said she, deprecatingly, and holding
out her hand, " so that it seemed to me as if you
were never coming again."

"I suppose," said Mr. Forest bluntly, and
taking her hand professionally, not amicably : —
'' I suppose, Madam, you really did think so, by
your calling in another medical adviser."

"What can you mean?" exclaimed Mrs.
Althea, breathlessly. " What other medical
adviser? "

" Who but Mr. Knight, of course ? " said
Mr. Forest, gruffly.

" My dear Mr. Forest ! I have seen no one
but you! Never received a professional visit
but from you and George Mildmay since the
beginning of my illness! How can you have
ever imagined it ? I can hardly help laughing
at the idea!" said she, and the next moment
her handkerchief was at her eyes.

Bever Hollow. 221

''• Well," said he, softening a little, ^' the
strangest reports do certainly get about ! It is
said, in more than one quarter, that Mr. Knight
has been seen coming daily out of this house,
and that you, for \vant of confidence in your old
advisers, have called him in."

" Never was anything in this world so false !
I never even spoke to the man ! "

" Well, it seemed strange to me, I must say.
After ' all the friendship that we tAvo have
shared,' — it was such a breach of professional
etiquette, that I felt very angry with the fellow,
and certainly rather angry with you. We had
gone on so long together, and all the county knew
you were, or said you were, so well satisfied."

" So I was : so I am. How could the report
get about?"

" I heard of it first from John Fox, who said
Knight was attending Mrs. Hall. That, of course,
meant you. Next I heard it from the Simpsons,

VOL. IT, Q

2 22 "The Ladies of

who said he was attending one of the Mrs. Halls.
That, you know, might do for either of you."

" Either of us ? Is it possible that Kitty—"

Mrs. Althea rang the bell with energy.

" Hannah ! " said she with severity, as soon
as her domestic appeared, " how dared you keep
from me that Mrs. Kitty was so ill?"

" Law, mum," burst forth Hannah, with an
air of being greatly injured, " 'twem't no secret
of mine, but Mrs. Brand said it was to be kept
one, and Mrs. Kitty said so too."

" How dared you conceal from me," pursued
Mrs. Althea with increasing heat, " that Mr.
Knight was attending Mrs. Kitty? "

" There ! I wipe my hands of the whole kit
on'em," said Hannah, suiting the action to the
word by wiping her hands in her apron ;
" 'T were no affair of mine — I knowed ye
wouldn't like it ; but, were I to tell if they said
I wasn't to ? "

Bever Hollow, 223

" How often lias he been, Hannah ? "

" Three times, mum/'

" What does he say is the matter with her ? "

" Well, mum, I made bold to ask, and they
told me Harry's shoes/^

'' Harry's shoes ! " ejaculated Mrs. Althea.

" Harry's slippers, then," said Hannah, getting
bewildered and impatient.

" Erysipelas," intei-posed Mr. Forest.

" Thaf s the word, sir," said Hannah.

" Nothing more likely," said Mr. Forest, " to
induce an attack of erysipelas in the head
than the cold night-drive in Mr. Knight's

gig."

*' Hannah," said Mrs. Althea, who was in
tears, " go up directly to Mrs. Kitty, and say,
Mr. Forest is coming to see her."

" No, no, not I," interrupted Mr. Forest ; '' /
don't interfere with other men's practice."

" But, if you don't see her, I shall never
q2

224 '^f^^ Ladies of

know the real truth about her state — it will
never be told me till too late. . . .Perhaps I may
even never see her again." And Mrs. Althea
Avept bitterly.

" Psha ! " cried Mr. Forest, " I never can
stand a woman's tears ; least of all yours. So
step up, Hannah, and say, I'm coming just to
pay a friendly visit. I must follow pretty close,
or Mrs. Brand will be down upon me."

Mrs. Althea continued shedding tears during
his absence, which was very short. " I wash
my hands of it," said he, shrugging his
shoulders. " Knight has begun, and Knight
may make an end. The fellow can't well
blunder in so simple a case, and will probably
bring her through safe enough."

•' /« it erysipelas ? "

" Oh yes, it has passed right over her head
and is coming down now over her forehead, like
a red curtain—"

Bever Hollow, 225

" Poor Kitty ! Oh, don't forsake her."
" Nay, 'tis she has forsaken me — she won't
have a word to say to me — when I got up-
stairs, she called out, ^ Oh, my goodness, Mr.
Forest, don't come in — I hav'n't got on my
best night- cap ! ' ' And then there was such
tittering and giggling, as might have suited a
couple of school -girls, rather than middle-aged
ladies. As if I cared about her night- cap ! —
I'll come and see you^ Mrs. Althea, since the
report about your calling in Knight is false ;
but as for Mrs. Kitty, — as she has brewed, so
she must bake. George Mildmay generally
takes the Collington round ; George Mildmay
has lately had it pretty much to himself —
George Mildmay may make friends or foes with
Mr. Knight as he pleases — I am going to do
neither one nor the other."

It struck Mrs. Althea that an ill- concealed
tone of peevishness — when speaking of George

226 The Ladies of

Mildmay — might have something to do with the
successful wooing of Pamela.

" But, Mr. Forest," said she, anxiously,
" Erysipelas is a very dangerous thing, some-
times, is it not ? Do you think Kitty will take
it heavily ? "

" Can't say, indeed— very likely ; for she is
an inflammatory subject."

" Dear me ; it must be very painful in the
head, I should think ? "

" Eely upon it, it is."

" Do you think she will get light-headed,
towards night ? "

" Very likely."

" And with nobody to nurse her but Mrs.
Brand ! Oh, my case is hard ! " And the tears
again trickled down her pale cheeks.

" My dear Mrs. Althea," said Mr. Forest,
kindly, ^' let us make the best of things. It
may be a lucky thing for us all that Mrs. Brand

Bever Hollow, 227

is here. You and I don't like her, but Mrs.
Kitty does ; and she will have a nurse to her
mind, and one who, for her own credit's sake,
will show herself both able and willing."

*' I hope she may," said Mrs. Althea, drying
her eyes. " I am sure Kitty is welcome to the
whole of her services. Hannah is quite enough
for me ; and when I cannot have her, I would
rather be left quite alone."

" Ah, you know well how to bear solitude —
^ your mind affords inexhaustible resources ; "
said Mr. Forest, patronizingly repeating the old
hackneyed axiom, as if there were really some-
thing new in it. He went away, pleasing him-
self that this judiciously- administered compli-
ment had made !Mrs. Althea quite comfortable ;
while she, after a fleeting smile at its being so
wide of the mark, fell thinking again upon
Kitty.

"Oh, my case is hard!" She had never

2 28 The Ladies of

uttered that sad lament during the long season
of her captivity ; but she felt it to be very, very
hard, now that it prevented lier nursing her
dear and only sister.

Mrs. Brand came in with one of her made up
smiles and melo-dramatic attitudes. "Well,"
cried she, stifling a little affected laugh, " it
was well our two medical men did not meet
on the stairs — Knight had but just gone."

" I cannot laugh,*' said Mrs. Althea, sternly.
" You have done me the greatest harm in yoiu*.
power — put my sister into the way of getting
dangerously ill — and put it out of my power to
see her."

Mrs. Brand stood with an air of mock sur-
prise. " My dear Althea," cried she, " what
are you thinking of?"

• " I have said my say," said Mrs. Althea,
doggedly.

'• My dear creature, you hardly know what

Bever Hollow, 229

you liave said. I am sure you did not mean to
wound me. I am sure nothing could be farther
from your intention than being rude to me ;
han saying the most cutting things that ever
were said to me in my life ! /? put dear Kate
in the way of being ill? Why, was it not
a medical man who proposed the thing ? Might
not I have been the victim myself? Was I
a likely person to endanger the health of my
dearest friend? a friend who never said a
cutting thing to me ? Why. am I not now
proving my attachment to her by nursing her
in what is considered by some an infectious
complaint?"

" I am really too ill to have any altercation
about it," said Mr. Althea, turning her face to
the pillow. " You say you love her, and 1
conclude you do. I hope, therefore, that she is
in safe and kind hands. Do your best for her,
and that will be the truest kindness to us both."

230 T^he Ladies of

" 1 can assure you, I donH need prompting
to a duty that will be such a pleasure," said
Mrs. Brand, looking at her watch. " Dear me,
I must return to the dear invalid. It is a
quarter past four, I declare."

Just then, the old clock on the stairs struck
four.

" Hannah !" said Mrs. Althea authoritatively
to her servant, who entered as Mrs. Brand
passed out, " set that clock forward ! Nothing
in this house over which I have any power,
shall tell lies if I can help it."

" Then you 'd better alter Mrs. Brand's
watch, mum," said Hannah, " instead of the
clock."

Bever Hollow, ^3 1

CHAPTER XII.

The Sisters Re-umted.

It would have been more honoui'able of David to ask for the
strength of an ox to bear his trials, than for the wings of a
dove to flee from them. — Matthew Henry.

niHE two sisters were very ill. Mrs. Kitty's
-■- fever ran high, she was delirious ; and
Mr. Knight and Mrs. Brand had rather a
troubled sense of their responsibility. Mrs.
Brand, dismayed at Kitty's swollen and fearful
appearance as the eruption crept down her face,
and constantly employed in dipping soft rags
in lotion and applying them to the skin, took
Mrs. Althea at her word, and gave her very
little of her company ; so little that Mrs. Althea,

2^2 The Ladies of

in Hannah's necessary absences about her ordi-
nary work, was literally neglected, and often in
want of aid which she would have been thank-
ful to receive even from Mrs. Brand. She had
desired Hannah to get a girl to wash up and be
generally useful ; but the girl was ignorant and
uncouth, broke or cracked nearly as much as
she washed, and required so much supersnsion
as to give Hannah very little more time. Then
a char-woman was summoned, who had a
great gift for eating, drinking, gossiping, and
sitting long over her meals. She seemed a
worse help than the girl. Hannah's face grew
more and more sour ; Mrs. Althea's spirits
became lower and lower ; and when George
Mildmay came in one day and found the front
door ajar, the cold north wind blowing in on Mrs,
Althea, who was helplessly coughing, crying, and
ringing for the women shut up in the kitchen,
he quite stormed — made his own way, first into

Bever Hollow. 233

the kitchen, then up to Mrs. Brand, whom he
met on the landing-place, and rebuked in no
measured terms for the condition in which he
had found Mrs. Althea ; assuring her, with
a menacing hrow, that before the day was out,
he should provide her with some one who
would not neglect her.

Mrs. Brand turned white and then red, as
alarm and hate reigned alternately ; but with-
out minding her changes of colour, George
boldly stalked in to the bedside of Mrs. Kitty,
who was lying in a sort of stupor, with her
eyelids too swollen to unclose. There was not
much comfort to carry to Mrs. Althea from that
quarter ; he was guilty of a pious fraud when
he went down and told her that Mrs. Kitty had
taken the complaint heavily, but would do
well. Hannah, repentant and alert, had been
repairing her neglects in his absence, and Mrs.
Althea, with everything comfortably ananged

234 ^^^ Ladies of

about her, was now lying still, though with
tear-stained cheeks, incessant cough, and a
pulse so weak and irregular, that George's
heart sank as he felt it. He supplied her with
liquid as tenderly as a woman : talked to her
soothingly and hopefully ; reminded her of
heavenly consolations ; and promised her that
Pamela should be with her as soon as he could
drive her over, to be with her till she was in
the parlour again. Oh, what balm to a sore
heart there was in every look, word, and
accent. And did he feel no repayment in his
own bosom ? There was a tear in his eye as
he stooped over her and wished her good-bye ;
a genuine " God-be- with-you : " and other tears
started into his eyes as he drove off.

The expectation of happiness is all but
happiness itself. Mrs. Althea was dangerously
and painfully ill, but she lay as still and com-
posed as her cough would let her. In a couple

Bever Hollow. 235

of hours Pamela was at her side ; those sweet
eyes, fall of love, met hers whenever she raised
her heavy eyelids ; those gentle hands minis-
tered to every want ; those light feet trod noise-
lessly the floor. Everything, as if by magic,
went right ; the kettle on the hob did not boil
over, slates in the fire did not explode and
scatter about the room ; hinges of doors did not
creak; windows no longer rattled for want of
having the catches fastened; the barley-water
did not chill ; the chimney did not smoke.
Often, often did those well-worn, but never to
be hackneyed lines, recur to the grateful Mrs.
Althea : —

When pain and sickness wring the brow,
A ministering angel thou !

Need it be said, that under the incessant
care of George and Pamela, Mrs. Althea be-
came better ? For a few days and nights, she
was on the brink of the grave ; but gradually

236 T^he Ladies of

the alarming symptoms abated, and she slowly
but surely improved. Then, at intervals, came
sweet and restoring snatches of converse with
her loved companion, who proved mighty in
the Scriptures, and full of original and liigh-
souled thought. George would linger by tlie
half-hour together, to hear these two talk of
one thing and another ; Mrs. Althea saying
little, but drawing out Pamela's stores of mind
so nicely ; and Pamela appearing in the most
advantageous light, in the performance of the
kindest offices, and in the revelation of higher
and deeper thoughts and feelings than would
otlierwise have been called forth. He had
always considered her the most charming girl
in the world, but now, —

He saw her uidodl nearer view,
An angel ; yet a woman too.

When Mrs. Brand, who was getting dread-
fully weary of Mrs. Kitty's bed-room, except

Bever Hollow, 237

tduring Mr. Kniglit's visits, stole in on pretence
of being anxious to know how dear Mrs. Althea
was getting on, she found herself de trojp. But
she had her seasons of refreshment ; the friends
of Mrs. Althea and Mrs. Kitty, learning jrom
George and. Mrs. Forest how ill they were,
called continually to inquire, and sent in every-
thing at hazard that they thought likely to be
fancied by the invalids ; consequently, Mrs.
Brand, ruling the larder, fared luxuriously : and
instead of confining herself so rigidly to Mrs.
Kitty's apartment, she proceeded to entertain
visitors, in gloves and her best caps, enlarging
on Kitty's late danger and present disfigure-
ment, and not sparing those praises of self
which are said to be no recommendation.
Pamela, finding her continually thus occupied,
availed herself of the opportunity to look in
on Mrs. Kitty, who, very unsightly in her
appearance, and very weak after the fever had
VOL. II, K

238 The Ladies of

left her, was in low spirits, and much given to
wonder why Eliza was so long away. She
was also fidgety about Mrs. Althea, though by
no means aware of what her late danger had
beei\, till Pamela spoke of it. Then Mrs. Kitty
became very much agitated ; she had been kept
in the dark, ;she had been wanted ; she must
and would see dear Althea.

Mrs. Kitty was no longer in bed; she was
sitting up by the fire, in a large easy chair,
stuflfed full of pillows, attired in various gar-
ments of loose flannel, with a sort of horseman's
coat over all. She would go down, that she
would, if it were only to give one kiss to her
dear Althea.

Pamela was afraid of the consequences, and

tried to dissuade, but in vain. Hearing Hannah

on the stairs, she called her in to the rescue, but

without success. She had no mind to summon

he only effectual person, Mrs. Brand, who

Bever Hollow, 239

was surrounded by a circle of morning callers
in the parlour. The opportunity was propitious,
Pamela felt that in Mrs. Kitty's case, she should
have availed herself of it : and Hannah, after a
moment's pause, set ^own the caudle-cup of
arrow-root in her hand, before the fire ; and
then, saying, " You carried Missis once, so
there's no reason why I should not carry you,'^
— suddenly enveloped her from head to foot in
a blanket, snatched her up in her sturdy arms,
and triumphantly bore her down stairs.

Mrs. Althea, unprepared for such a visitation,
though Pamela had made a vain effort to get
the start of Hannah, who took up the whole
breadth of the stairs, was utterly confounded
when she saw Hannah bear in this struggling
mass of blankets and flannels, which when
Mrs. Kitty had fought a way for her head out
of it, disclosed her poor, altered face. The
meeting was too much for the sisters — they
r2

240 The Ladies of

stretched out their arms to one another before
they could be brought together; locked each
other in a strict embrace, and burst into tears.
Pamela, kneeling up on the bed to support
Mrs. Althea, wept too, and Hannah indulged in
a quiet roar under her apron.

Fancy George Mildmay entering in the midst
of this tableau ! To close the scene, fancy Mrs.
Brand standing in the doorway !

There is not much more we shall tell. Some
things, however, require to be told of. How
that Mrs. Brand fell into a rage, at the use
Kitty had made of her absence; how George
(out of Mrs. Althea's hearing) had made the
ironical remark, " When the cat's away, the
mice will play." How that Mrs. Brand re-
criminated by saying that he wanted to injure
Mr. Knight by spoiling his case ; how George
resented this, as a speech unbecoming a lady,
and wished to know in what way he had inter-

Bever Hollow, 241

fered with Mr. Knight throughout Mrs. Kitty's
illness. How Kittj was quite sure Eliza had
meant all for the best, but must own she felt
deeply hurt that Althea's danger had been con-
cealed from her; how Mrs. Brand must own
she thought this was rather an unexpected
return for her unwearied watchfulness, and
could not have supposed Kate could be so
ungrateful.

However, it was plain, Kate was now under
foreign and malign influence ; Kate, forgetful of
the recent past, would never see things in their
true light any more; she, Mrs. Brand, was
evidently no longer wanted — a newer face was
preferred ; Miss Bohun could make herself very
agreeable down stairs, and up-staLrs too, and
would doubtless find it agreeable to herself to
remain there as long as Mr. Mildmay was
calling every day and paying absolute visita-
tions, to the neglect of his other patients. She,

242 T^he Ladies of

Mrs. Brand, must succumb before the rising
sun; there was a good old saying, though a
vulgar one, that too many cooks spoiled the.
broth ; she had made Kate's broth many a day,
without one speck of fat on it ; she hoped her
new cook, metaphorically to call her so, would
do as well.

Mrs. Brand expected Kate to be subdued by
this tirade ; but, on the contrary, Kate resented
it. Eliza was saying a great many things that
were untrue and exaggerated, which she would
be sorry for when she cooled. Mrs. Brand was
never cooler, and had said nothing she should
ever be sorry for, because she had said nothing
that was either untrue or exaggerated.

When contending parties reach the logical
point of contradictory opposition, Peace unfurls
her wings in despair, and soars back to her own
blue heaven.

Bever Hollow. 243

And ruder words will soon rush in.
To spread the breach that words begin ;
And eyes forget the gentle ray
They wore in friendship's smiling day.
And voices lose the tone that shed
A tenderness round aU they said —
Till, fast declining, one by one,
The sweetnesses of love are gone.

Thus was it .with Mrs. Brand and Mrs.
Kitty. The former, thinking her services too
valuable to be yet spared, took a high tone,
and said that she was clearly no longer wanted
nor wished for, and should therefore go else-
where, to friends more desirous of her company,
— " She had had a letter." Kate was sorry
she should think her nursing undervalued ; she
felt truly grateful for it, but it was not a pro-
pitious time to say so now, as she saw Eliza
would not believe her. She hoped Eliza would
be happy wherever she. was going, and see
things in a truer, kinder light when they were
apart. Mrs. Brand swallowed a hasty answer,

24-4 ^^^ Ladies of

snatched up her work-bag, and went off to
answer her letter and pack up.

She was really going ; but a few days neces-
sarily intervened. In the first place, she had
nowhere immediately to go to, till her way was
paved a little. In the second, she must see
Mr. Knight, and get rid, somehow, of their
half-settled arrangement, which, on her part,
had never been really in earnest. Lastly, she
had made much profession to morning callers
of her devotion to the sisters, and it would
have an ill appearance if she forsook them too
abruptly, as she was not leaving any one
behind her to tell her story as she would like
it told.

She kept staying on, therefore, on sufferance,
as it were, to arrange her own plans and suit
her own convenience. Perhaps she was in
secret hope that Kitty would give in; but
Kitty, when her temper once was up, took

Bever Hollow. 245

long to recover herself. She bore herself so
bluntly to the late friend of her bosom, that
Mrs. Althea, hearing Pamela's report of the
state of parties, compassionated Mrs. Brand,
and was very near being so soft as to ask her
to remain a little longer as a personal favour.

From this weakness, George and Pamela
saved her. Meanwhile, Miss Eoberta Eickards,
who had been one of the morning visitors, and
who had felt indignant at the way in which
Mrs. Brand had assumed the airs of lady of
the house, and denied her access to Mrs. Althea,
now, under the milder nature of Pamela, ob-
tained the admittance she had before sought in
vain. Greatly shocked at Mrs. Althea's appear-
ance, and still resenting Mrs. Brand's veto,
Miss Eickards begged Pamela to take a little
of the relaxation she surely had well earned,
while she spent a half hour with her old friend.
Pamela withdrew, and Miss Eickards began to

246 The Ladies of

unfold to her invalid listener the various delin-
quencies of Mrs. Brand ; not only by giving
herself airs that were quite unbecoming a person
of so little consequence, but mischievously
colouring and twisting even the simplest do-
mestic incidents to every chance visitor, so that
any uninformed person might have supposed
that the sisters led a cat and dog life ; that
Mrs. Althea's whims were insupportable, and
that she was now being made a tool of by
Pamela and George Mildmay, who were suiting
their own purposes of constantly seeing one
another by their sedulous attendance on her.

When Mrs. Althea heard this, she was far
too indignant to feel any disposition, even from
compassion, to induce Mrs. Brand to prolong
her stay. Kitty was now sufficiently conva-
lescent to be established, much wrapped up, by
the parlour fire ; and as Mrs. Brand's kind
ministrations were much remitted or osten-

Bever Hollow. 247

f atiously paraded, Pamela found it desirable to
attend to both her friends, which Mrs. Althea's
daily amendment enabled her to do without
defrauding her of her prior claims. Mrs.
Althea, indeed, considered herself able to return
to her sofa ; but George, with a knowing look
and smile, advised her to continue in her room
till Mrs. Brand was fairly out of the house.

That hour arrived. George himself handed
her into the old yellow fly that was to convey
her to the next town. On returning to the
house, he found Mrs. Kitty shedding a few tears.
" Come," said he, kindly, and sitting down by
her as he spoke, " Know your true friends from
your false ones. That lady who has just left you
is no real friend to any one but herself. She
is fond of power, and fond of mischief-making.
Remember what Solomon says, 'A whisperer
divides friends.' If she had been here much
longer, she would have alienated you from Mrs.
Althea."

248 The Ladies of

'' Oh, no, no! No human power could do that ! '*

" Well, she would have done her best in that
way, at any rate. She had not even a humane
concern in your sister."

And he forcibly depicted the condition in
which he had found Mrs. Althea, deserted by
all, and in want of assistance. Kitty was
greatly moved. " No true friend to me," said
she, " no woman of any feeling, could have so
neglected my sister."

" Enough said : we won't think any more of
her," said George. " Now we will carry in
Mrs. Althea, and set her f^ice to face with you,
and stir the fire, and have a jolly tea, and Pa-
mela shall make the tea, and I'll be as happy —
we'll all be as happy as kings ; and a good deal
happier! "

And so they were; and George would not
let Pamela leave his and her old friends, nor
would Mr. and Mrs. Bohun receive her home
till Mrs. Kitty was quite brisk and blooming

Bever Hollow. 249

again, and Mrs. Althea was as well as she was
ever likely to be in this world, and quite com-
fortable and happy. George contrived to see
them every day ; generally in the evening,
when his work was over, and he could enjoy a
long, uninterrupted fire-side chat. Dm'ing these
blissful evenings, it would be difficult to say
which of the four was happiest.

" Surely," says John Foster, " the great
principle of continued interest, in those who
love one another, cannot be to talk always in
the style of simple, direct personality; but to
introduce personality into the subject; to talk
of topics, so as to involve each other's feelings,
without perpetually talking at each other."

One evening, George told them with glee,
that he had been ofiered a capital opening, as
far as money went, in Tasmania; but that,
having no fancy for expatriation, he had gone
straight to Mr. Knight, and rubbed out old
scores, by handsomely offering him what he

250 The Ladies of Bever Hollow.

had no mind for himself. "And, do you
know, the fellow was quite touched, and said it
would be the making of him, with so much
about my generosity and so forth, that I was
ashamed. I told him I should pick up some
amends in Collington, and he said he would
leave me the good will, and the cottage too, if
I liked it ; and I told him I certainly should.
I laughed, and told him he had better take out
a wife. He must sail in a fortnight."

And in a fortnight he sailed ; and took out a
wife. Mrs. Althea and Mrs. Kitty received
wedding cards. — From Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Glyn? Oh, that was soon afterwards. From
Mr. and Mrs. Mildmay? They sent cake.
From Mr. and Mrs. Knight ! Mr. Knight had
married Mrs. Brand!

THE END.

R. CLA^, tRiNTEE, BREAD STREET HILL.

**

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